This is Unusual!
by Exigence
Summary: Steven poofs but doesn't die. Something weird happens instead.
1. I am my Mother, or am I?

_A/N: A short and sweet oneshot in regards to the "A Single Pale Rose" episode. I was planning for this story to go a different way until this episode aired. But I guess my alternate take could technically still be canon compliant. Contains spoilers_ and takes place before the episode's reveal.

\--

A dust cloud exploded outward from the impact into the muddy ground. Wood was sent flying everywhere, a hail of chips and dirt and some mud colliding with and staining everything it could reach. A round surface was deflecting it, oddly enough, the particles not gaining any purchase on the hovering object. Trees swayed in some predictable dance as the force of the collisions made the fauna move with the wind.

Steven steadied his shield arm, his left wrist sore from repeated barrages toward his gem weapon. A savage roar preceded each bludgeon, accompanied by a piercing clang.

The beast agressing upon his shield was a massive thing, horns jutting out wherever it could grow, its massive front paws about the size of Steven's head. Vaguely, it's form reminded him of Jasper, her pained screaming melting into something more mindless and bestial.

Another pound on the shield snappes him out of his zoning thoughts. Allowing his mind to wander was dangerous right now. A year ago, he'd be ignorant of how much danger he was in right now...

What would Rose do in this situation?

The only two beings in the immediate area were himself and the beast. Connie wouldn't be able to help him. She was still at school, as early as it was in the day. None of the Gems were present; he hadn't been of the mind to find a Gem monster to fight. All he wanted to do was go exploring into the Beach City woods. He never really trekked much farther than the lighthouse, and he wasn't planning to go to deep into the wilderness.

Apparently, just exploring the outskirts was a bad idea.

The corrupted Gem charged forward again, this time at full speed and it's head lowered, like an angry, rushing bull. Steven leapt to the side, cleanly avoiding it, allowing him some space between himself and the gem. The nearby trees were all too high for Steven to climb; the branches at minimum were situated three times his height.

"Aw, man..." Steven groaned. He forced his arms to remain steady, keeping the shield trained in front of him. His shoulders were straining now, and it felt like his arms would fall off at any moment.

The gem beast realized it missed it's mark with a snort. Slowly it turned around, it's mane covered head locking onto Steven's direction. The hybrid backed into the tree, gulping.

The young boy narrowed his eyes in concentration.

"Maybe if I throw it hard enough, I can knock it out..." Steven cocked his shield arm back, tensing the muscles in his arm. "Gem powers, don't fail me now..."

The Gem beast charged again, likened to a raging locomotive, intent on smashing into him.

Steven let the shield fly, and the monster was too late to avoid the missle. The shield, thrown with all of Steven's might coupled with the beast's reckless charge resulted in an ear-splitting crack. Such was the force, that tbe shield went rebounding up and skyward. There was another distant crack, like wood splitting, but Steven paid it no mind. Fortunately for the corrupted Gem, it's actual Gem wasn't hit, but it's head, concussing it nearly instantly. The large Gem's limbs failed it as it landed on it's head, sliding to a stop in front of the boy.

Steven gasped for breath, his race for air morphing into nervous laughter. He really did it. He defeated corrupted Gem with absolutely no help! He collapsed onto his rear, suddenly too weak to stand. Oddly, the Gem hadn't poofed, abd no sooner did that thought arrive, the animalistic Gem began to slowly rise again, albeit unsteadily on wobbly legs.

Steven's laughter died into a sputtering gasp. He was totally out of energy, his arms too heavy and legs too sore. His adrenaline had run out and he couldn't move.

There was another sound, like when ab axe hits the trunk of a tree. Steven's eyes widened, realizing what the sound from earlier was.

"Concern it!"

Two explosions sounded simultaneously. One an earthy green, the other tinted a rosy pink.

\--

"Ughh..." Steven groaned, lifting his face off the ground. Soreness invaded the base of his neck and he rubbed it tenderly. "Ow...what hit me?" he thought aloud. He looked around, only to be surrounded by trees, mud, and disturbed ground. His vision was still a but blurry, colors melding together just subtly enough. Actually, a tree was resting on his back. Unthinkingly, he brushed it aside, it rolling off to the side before coming to a stop in front of some rubble. He lifted a hand to his face to brush off dirt, but found sonething cottony in between his face and hand. Was it moss or some kind of dirt?

Steven gasped, remembering the Gem he'd fought. Quickly, he rose to his knees, ready to search the ground. Weirdly, everything looked...smaller, for lack of a better word. The tree branches he had to crane his neck to see were now reachable if he were standing on his feet, he guessed.

"Nevermind...that," Steven said, his voice trailing off as he realized that his voice sounded unfamiliar. He shook his head, continuing his search for the Gem.

After a two minute search of moving rocks and scrstching through piles of dirt, the greeb tinted Gem was discovered, it's earthy brilliance marred by small splotches of reddish-orange.

Corruption.

Why did the Gem look so small in his hand?

He brought it closer to his face to examine it.

In it's reflective surface. An unfamiliar, pink skinned Gem with hair of an even brighter shade stared back, a confused look on...her...face..?

Steven's scream could be heard even outside of the woods. All he knew was that even though he screamed, it wasn't his voice that came out.


	2. I'm a Giant Woman

_A/N: I was not expecting the story to get such a large response. I'm flattered._

"This is unusual!" Steven blurted, a voice not his own being what formed the statement. He turned his head side to side, attempting to find something familiar about it.

But he was drawing a blank.

Suddenly, the Gem he'd been using as a makeshift mirror began to glow again. Nearly dropping the corrupted stone, he concentrated -or as much as he could in the confusion- and bubbled it. With a tap it was gone. He was alone in the woods now, and he needed to get back home. He needed to talk to the Gems and Dad.

On wobbly legs, Steven managed to stand up off his knees.

"Woah..." he nearly stumbled. It felt like he'd...never used his legs before.

Hm...

The legs not his own were thinner now, his whole body was much slimmer, actually. He could touch the highest tree branches with ease if he wanted to. And on closer inspection, he noted that his arms were enclosed in gloves. His gaze traveled downwards, observing a uniform rich in pink hues and tones.

Steven felt pressure in his head as he looked further down, to where his navel would be.

Was his gem still there? What caused him to look like this extremely tall Gem? The image looked familiar but he knew he'd never seen it...her? Steven shook his head.

His eyes squinted, confused.

A gem was there alright. But it was shaped totally different.

It was the same pink hue he was familiar with, but it didn't look anyhting like his gem.

For one, it wasn't circular. Funny, it almost looked like a-

Steven blanked his thoughts. "One thing at a time," he muttered, still unused to his voice sounding so alien to his normal voice. It sounded very different. It had an almost melancholic lilt to it.

It sounded like mom. He closed his eyes, rubbing them to rid the sensation of wanting to cry.

Taking a breath, he stood tall, ignoring the spaghetti-like sensation in his legs, and made his way out of the woody outskirts.

\--

Steven knew that simply walking through the boardwalk was an obviously bad idea. Even though Beach City were very tolerant of the weird happenings occuring in and around the town, he didn't want to unnecessarily add to the weirdness. So he travelled through the very edge of the town, hoping to avoid as many people as possible on the way to the temple. After taking a roundabout way around the borders of town, Steven managed to near the mountain that held the temple statue on it's opposite side. He couldn't see the fusion-like statue yet, but he could make out the lighthouse, which was about a minute's walk away...maybe less, taking into account his new height.

Steven paused, examining himself again. His thought reminded him of when he wanted to see Amethyst and Pearl fuse for the first time.

"Careful what I wish for, right, Steven?" He laughed nervously, abruptly trailing off as he recalled that song from so long ago. He didn't think he'd ever get used to this new voice.

But the Gems would know what to do. He just had to remember he wasn't alone in trying to figure this out. He broke into a sprint, circling the mountain.

\--

"So that's how I made the first exploding burrito," Amethyst declared proudly. Her and Garnet were seated across from each other in the kitchen's island table. Amethyst held the burrito, some large dish that had some sort of steam or smoke coming from it, surrounded by the crushed remains of what looked like a car battery. Pearl was upstairs, having been in the middle of cleaning the house.

"You do know Battery Acid is from automotives?" Garnet asked after a pause.

"Yeah, the stuff has the perfect amount of zest."

"Hmm..." Garnet decided to settle on a non comment, keeping her thought to herself.

"Have you two seen Steven?" Pearl called from above. She was currently placing books back into the shelves, alphabetized. "It's not like him to leave the house so early in the morning..." she added, a finger resting on her chin.

"Didn't he say he was goin' camping or something?" Amethyst proceeded to stuff the burrito, plate included, into her mouth. Garnet picked up a plate, holding it in front of her face.

Amethyst then did something between a burp and a belch, fire and smoke spewing from her mouth, the spittle colliding with the plate in Garnet's hand. She dropped it into the sink.

"Oh-ho yeah, that was awesome," Amethyst said.

Pearl grunted at their teammate's usual stunts, but didn't comment on it, deciding to stay on topic.

"Usually, he would leave a note or tell us before he went off somewhere."

"He's probably on his way back right now," Garnet added.

Immediately after her statement, several tremors shook the floor in rapid succession before suddenly ceasing. Amethyst was gripping the stool she sat on, eyes wide.

"The heck was that?"

"I'll check it out," Pearl announced, walking towards the door. Stepping outside, she looked ahead then down at the beach.

Nothing.

"Hm," Pearl sounded. Perhaps it was simply a minor earthquake. Beach city wasn't too far from a fault line after all.

"Pearl!"

Pearl blinked. "Huh?" She looked to her left seeing just the shore and Pink Diamond standing off to the side next to the house portion of the temple.

Pearl did a double-take, her eyes threatening to fall out of their sockets, as wide as they were.

"St...Steve-Pink..?"

Pearl blinked again, shutting her eyes tight before opening them again. No change.

Slowly, Pearl checked to see if Amethyst and Garnet had seen. Apparently, they hadn't. Garnet and Amethyst were discussing some new topic, while...Steven...Pink..? Was just out of view of the patio window.

Uncertainly, Pearl pressed her fingertips together. Holding back tears, she asked, "W-who are you?"

Pearl swallowed, waiting for a response. Did something horrible happen? How could... _she_ possibly be standing here? She hoped her fear was unfounded.

"I know this looks really weird, but it's me, Steven. I was in the woods, and-"

Pearl released a breath she hadn't realuzed she was holding. Steven was okay! Relief flooded her, and she almost fell to her knees right then and there.

"Steven!" Pearl cut him off. "Did you...get poofed?"

Pink D-no, Steven, looked guilty, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm really sorry, I know I usually write a note...I figured nothing was going to happen."

This was definitely Steven. Pearl was more at ease now that she was completely sure.

But there was a new problem now...

Amethyst would be surprised yes, but she probably wouldn't freak out.

Garnet, on the other hand...

Pearl looked back at the window, to see that Amethyst was gone, possibly back inside the temple. Pearl gulped. Garnet was looking at her.

"Steven, don't move, I'll be right back," she ordered firmly.

"Okay?" He answered, a little confused.

Pearl stepped inside, beginning to sweat.

"Is everything okay out there?"

Pearl stiffened, forcing a smile. "Oh yes. Probably just a quake," she answered, feeling extremely horrible. Garnet nodded. She'd lied to Garnet before and they reconciled, but this was a totally different story. What would Garnet do if she knew the truth? She knew she should know better...but what if Garnet didn't believe her? What if...Pearl internally shook her head. She would figure this out.

"We don't have any missions today, do we?" Pearl asked, mainly to disrupt the awkward silence, and to plan her next move.

"Nope."

"Oh, well, I'll be outside if you need me."

"Alright."

Pearl walked back to the door, not daring to look back. With Garnet, it was hard to tell how much she already knew, if she knew at all.

Pearl looked withdrawn as she stepped back out through the door.

"Is everything okay, Pearl?" Steven asked concern written on his face.

Pearl looked at him, frowning, a look of nostalgia on her face. She shook her head.

"We need to talk to Greg."

Steven raised a brow. "What about the Gems?"

"Don't worry," Pearl assured, not certain if it was meant for Steven or herself. "We'll talk to them later..." Pearl paused.

"How do you feel about...shrinking down?"

"Oh!" Steven exclaimed, not having thought to do that. It was harmless enough. He just had to imagine himself shorter. He glowed bright into a white light, shrinking diwn until he was a head taller than Pearl, about Garnet's height. By the time the light receded, Steven had already began to hover over the patio, just out of sight of the window.

"Ok," Pearl said clasping her hands. Progress was being made. "Let's go."

Steven and Pearl headed down the steps towards _It's A Wash._


	3. The Talk

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews thus far, especially the guest review of chapter 2. I enjoy reading what is on the reader's mind and constructive critiques they have._ _I have a lot of time to write because of the nature of my Job, so all of this chapter was written beforehand._

Steven and Pearl travelled along the coast of Beach City towards the Car Wash. Oddly, to Steven, they travelled by way of the opposite side of the mountain rather than the usual way. Pearl was unusually quiet, and kept glancing about in different directions. As if looking for something. Or trying to avoid it.

Steven's brows furrowed, unsure of what to make of it. He halfheartedly listened for the shifting of sand as they walked on it. "Pearl?"

The older gem nearly jumped, eyes wide, as she came to a stop. "Yes, my..." Pearl hesitated, a pained look on her face. She almost looked guilty. "...Yes, Steven?"

"Why are we avoiding the Gems?" Steven noted the lost expression on Pearl's face before he had asked the question, but didn't mention it. Not yet, at least. There was enough going on as it was, with having been poofed and all.

"Uh...That is..." Pearl hesitated, trying to articulate her answer. She looked around before herding Steven closer to the outcropping of the mountain, so as to reduce visibility.

"You see Steven, your form is-" Pearl's hands flew to cover her mouth, almost on reflex. A look of frustration was on her face and she shut her eyes angrily.

Steven watched her sadly, not sure how to help her. He noticed how she seemed to do the thing with her hands almost without thinking. Steven began to reach out a hand before hesitating and withdrawing it.

Finally, Pearl removed her hands. She took a steadying breath, looking at her clenched fists as she rested them on her chest.

"This was your mother's...first form," she replied vaguely, looking away.

Steven's eyes widened. Mom was huge! He kept his thought to himself , wondering what it all meant. He wanted to pursue the line of questioning this all invited, but he remained quiet.

The pressure in his head returned with a vengeance and he put a hand to his forehead.

"Steven?!" Pearl exclaimed, backtracking to where he had stopped walking. "What's the matter?"

"I don't think I can hold this size..."

Immediately after his observation, his form glowed and reverted back to his now default taller stature. The discomfort in his head immediately eased. He sighed in frustration.

"Sorry, Pearl," Steven said, nursing his forehead. "I'm still not use to this shapeshifting thing," he admitted.

Although the actual act of shapeshifting seemed effortless now, it seemed as if a long enough lapse in concentration caused mild to intense headaches. It seemed as if all the former bodily strain was concentrated in his forehead.

Pearl sighed. "It's okay, Steven," she assured. She remembered what Steven and Greg told her of his shapeshifting "cat"astrophe. They were close enough anyway to the car wash.

The back of the car wash's sign was visible now along with the rest of the building. Greg's van was parked in the driveway at an angle, off to the side from the wash's vehicle entrance.

"Steven," Pearl ventured once they neared the venue. "What actually happened? How did you feel when you...woke up?"

Pearl had to look up, almost crane her neck, in fact, to address Steven.

Steven sucked his teeth, a cross look on his face.

"It's embarassing," he admitted, wincing at the thought.

"I'm not worried about that," Pearl affirmed, resting a comforting hand on Steven's...calf.She withdrew her hand, realizing how awkward this must be. "I'm more worried about your well-being." She clasped her hands together, frowning.

"Steven, you're not like other Gems. We...didn't know what would happen if you were to be poofed," she exhaled.

"Or if you could even _be_ poofed at all..." she admitted in a whisper.

Steven nodded in reluctant agreement, a nervous smile on his face. He scratched at his familiar but different head of hair. It was extremely fluffy and wavy compared to his original hair, and he continued to rake his fingers through it in some odd, comforting ritual.

"Well," he started. "A tree fell on me."

Steven grew increasingly uncomfortable as Pearl stared blankly at him. With a guilty look on his face, he shrugged.

"What?!" Pearl exploded.

"W-where were you?!" she interrogated, pulling at her own hair. That settled it! Steven was _not_ traveling outside of Beach City without adult supervision! Steven waved both of his hands in an attempt to explain. "It wasn't just a tree! I was fighting a corrupted Gem and-"

"A corrupted Gem!" Pearl echoed unbelievingly, eye twitching.

"Woah, hey, what's the noise out here?" a friendly voice sounded from behind them. A man who appeared to be in his 30's with a long mane of hair stepped out of the car wash with a bucket filled with water in one hand, and a yellow sponge in the other. A distinctive feature of his was the bald spot at the top of his head.

He noticed Pearl first, who had turned around at the sound of his voice.

"Pearl? What brings you overe he-Woah!" Greg nearly dropped his bucket of soapy water upon noticing the much taller Gem standing next to Pearl. A credit to his reflexes, Greg fumbled with the bucket before gingerly setting it down, and then dropping the sponge in it unceremoniously.

"Greetings, Greg," Pearl laughed lightly, hoping to hide her nervousness.

"Uh, another friend of yours?" The man said, anxious. Seeing a strange Gem was cause enough for concern, so he was a bit startled to see a new face in front of his car wash.

"Heya, Dad..."

If Greg's mind were likened to a record player, not only did the music of thought come to a sudden stop, it did so violently, toppling the record player over.

And then it burst into flames.

And exploded.

Greg repeated what the tall Gem said to him, wondering if it was miscommunication on his end. So it was understandable given what he said next.

"I'm sorry, what?" He deadpanned. Pearl inhaled through her teeth.

"Greg," Pearl said deliberately. "I know this _looks_ bad," Pearl pressed her fingers together as Steven had begun to tap his thumbs together repeatedly. "But I can assure you we're currently trying to figure this out."

Greg was completely confused. He scratched at the bald spot on his head. "What are you...Look, I don't know what's going on..." he admitted. "I mean, you know I try not to get involved with Gem stuff..." Greg rubbed the back of his neck, gesturing vaguely with his free hand.

Pearl and the tall Gem- he could've sworn she looked familiar- looked at each other, concern written on their faces.

"Dad," the taller Gem stated firmly.

"Dad?" Greg echoed slowly. Wait a minute...

"It's really me, Steven."

Greg seemed to wince. Steven?

"Steven?!" Greg repeated his thought aloud. He paused, looking Steven up and down.

"This isn't like that time you posessed that donut kid, is it?"

"Not exactly..?" Steven trailed off.

Greg couldn't place it, but he was sure he recognized Steven's new voice from somewhere.

Pearl spoke up, regaining Greg's attention. "Greg, it's really him," she looked away, unable to look him in the eye. "You know when Gems get hurt too badly to sustain their forms..?" Pearl didn't continue, she didn't need to. Glancing back at Greg, she could observe that he was stock still, his eyes wide. There was an unreadable expression on his face. She actually couldn't tell if he was simply shocked, or absolutely livid.

"It wasn't Gem stuff if that's what you're thinking!" Steven blurted, wtenching Greg's attention. "Please don't be mad!"

"Huh?" Greg shook his head. "What? No, i'm not mad! I'm just glad you're okay!" Greg cried. He paused, frowning. "You _are_ okay, right?"

Steven smiled, relieved. "Yeah, I feel different, but fine," he assured, kneeling on one knee to see his father better. "This is just all so weird is all," he added. And after all of his and the Gem's adventures thus far, that was saying _a lot._

"Like an out of body experience...I think."

Greg exhaled so heavily, as if hebwas releasing all of his current stress and worry in a single breath. "That's a relief!" he breathed, a hand over his heart. "Guess you're a bit too big to call 'Schtuball' anymore," he muttered, scratching his head.

Steven seemed to deflate at the off handed comment. "I just hope things can go back to normal. I don't even know what Gem this is supposed to be, if it even is a Rose Quartz." He sighed, shoukders drooping.

Greg's eyebrows creased, worry in his eyes. Now wasn't the time to ve sad. "You know," Greg said after some contemplation. "Getting a better look at you, your hair actually looks about the same."

"Really?" Steven asking, sitting up.

Pearl, meanwhile, began to sweat, glancing nervously between the unlukely duo of father and child.

"Yeah, I'd recognize that 'fro anywhere!" the man bantered, pulling an amused snort from Steven.

"Wait, if Steven got poofed, wouldn't he look like, you know..?" Greg gently asked. Pearl rubbed her arm, shoulders hunched, realizing the question was directed toward her.

"It's mom's first form," Steven said before Pearl coukd answer, to her relief.

"First form..?" For the briefest of moments, Greg appeared sad, before shrugging. His smile seemed forced. "Well, that's new," he said, kneeling down to pick up the nearly forgotten bucket. "First I've heard of this."

"We wanted to let you know what happened," Pearl exhaled through her nose. "But the rest of the Gems can't find out, not right now."

Greg would've argued the point, but the cause of the incident was innocent enough...If Steven was okay, he couldn't really find a reason to not respect Pearl's wish. Greg sighed, wishing their was more he could do. "I see..."

"But why?" Steven insisted, standing up again.

"There's a lot of...history behind your new form," Pearl attempted to explain. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't..."

Steven didn't answer immediately, but a scowl was clear on his face. He sighed afterwards, his face taking on a neutral expression. "This has something to do with Pink Diamond, doesn't it?"

"I..." Pearl seemed to visibly struggle to answer before only nodding. Steven only exhaled.

Greg, sensing the tension in the air, stepped closer to Steven, patting the side of his leg. "Hey, buddy. I know this is...disorienting..." He smiled. "I'm sure Pearl's just trying to look out for you." Steven look down, contemplating.


	4. I'll Let You In On a Little Secret

Steven still looked downcast, a troubled look on his face. "I'm never going back to normal...am I?" It was phrased like a question, but from the tone of his voice, it sounded like he already accepted the apparent situation. He really _was_ his mom, now, in pretty much every sense of the word. He sat down on his haunches, chin resting on his hands.

"Don't say that," Greg ordered, firmly, but accompanied by a strong hand on his wrist. Pearl mirrored the action, resting a hand on Steven's opposite shoulder. "You're going through some weird changes, I'll give you that," Greg said, a balmy tone in his voice. "Something like space puberty, I guess you could say. No matter what, you're still my son." He patted Steven's hand. Steven smiled slightly.

"What makes you human isn't this," Pearl added, gesturing to herself and Steven's new form. "It's this," she said, pointing, the tip of her finger touching Steven's chest, where his heart would be. Then she tapped Steven on the forehead. "And this." Steven couldn't hold back a smile and a chuckle at the display. "Steven, you're so much better than us at understanding others and loving them despite their faults. You always had that. And while we knew a bit of it, you had to teach us."

Greg smiled at her comment, choosing not to say anything. He simply settled on patting his now huge son on the shoulder.

"Thanks, guys," Steven smiled, holding back tears. He stretched out his arms, encircling Pearl and his dad in a crushing hug. Realizing Greg was gasping for air, he quickly let go.

"Sorry!"

"It's...It's okay..!" Greg wheezed, attempting to stretch his back. "You were already super strong before, but now, maybe we should hold off on any arm wrestling contests for now."

\--

With their visit to Greg's having gone a lot smoother than anticipated in Pearl's mind, she decided it was about time they did something to figure this whole ordeal out. After saying their goodbyes to Greg, they headed up the hill directly behind the temple towards the outdoor warp pad.

At this point, Steven accepted that they couldn't tell the rest of the Gems yet. However, It helped a lot that he was able to talk to his dad. As usual, he was very understanding of the situation, and Steven appreciated it immensely. It felt like some of the weight was off his shoulders, knowing that his dad didn't regard him any differently. To him, he was simply Steven.

So he took a deep breath, and let the negative emotions float away.

Pearl had brought them to the strawberry battlefield from the warp pad on the temple statue's palm. Without so much as a word they warped to the ancient battleground overrun with vegetation.

Once they'd arrived, Pearl actually slumped down to the surface of the warp pad. Pearl felt really out of her element here. Steven had lost his physical form, and she wasn't there to protect him. Pink Diamond's visage hovered over her, casting a large shadow.

"Are you okay?" Steven uttered. "You don't usually do that," he clarified, referring to her uncharacteristic display of sitting.

Pearl laughed lightly at the absurdity of the situation, aware that some of it might naturally just be going over Steven's head. "Yes, I'm fine, Steven," she said with a tight smile.

"So," she said, getting up from the ground and dusting herself off. "We'll see if you can simply shapeshift back to normal," she declared, rubbing her chin in thought. She had a feeling though, that even if Steven could pull it off without incident, things wouldn't go as planned.

"Pearl, I don't know. Shapeshifting gives me a headache," Steven admitted with a shrug. Pearl nodded.

"I know," she acknowledged gently. "But maybe shapeshifting into a familiar form, such as yourself, will be easier on you."

Steven thought about it, and agreed that it did make sense. He stood straight, closing his eyes, and concentrated.

He wanted things to be how they were. _He_ wanted to _be_ how he was. Focusing on that thought, he felt himself shrinking and shrinking and _shrinking,_ the sensations so alien to him to lose so much height at once.

"Wow..."

Steven heard Pearl's suprised voice. He opened his eyes to find that his eye level only reached at about Pearl's waist.

He grinned widely. "It worked!" he cheered. And his voice! It was back to normal!

"Sort of..."

Steven immediately paused in his revelry. "Whaddya mean sort of?" he demanded, turning around.

Pearl paused, lost in thought, before starting as if an idea came to her. Pearl's gem glowed, and the older gem pulled forth a plain looking mirror. She handed it to Steven.

Pearl did laugh a bit. The change was harmless enough. Yes, Steven looked as he should, but there was the faintest hue of pink to his hair, making it look less like black and more of an earthy, pink tinted brown. Purple? It really was hard to tell. But it was definitely odd looking enough that it wouldn't go unquestioned.

"Aw, man!" Steven snapped his fingers. "Maybe if I say I'm dyeing my hair?" Steven sighed. It may work for a day or two, but he knew full well that Amethyst and Garnet would find something amiss. But it was better than nothing, right?

"I'm ready to reform!" Steven announced, and Pearl immediately shot him down.

"No, we're not doing that," Pearl declared, leaving no room for discussion. "We'll just see how things go from here." Steven thought about it briefly, but knew this was a bad idea.

"But what if I end up straining my body?" Steven stepped off the platform, touching some strawberries on the ground experimentally. He could still feel the vegetation as usual, but the feeling was a bit muted, disconnected. He huffed. He was missing his _own_ body more and more by the minute.

Pearl sighed, the mere volume of it concerning Steven. He turned to see Pearl had slumped again to the ground, shoulders drooped. Steven neared Pearl. Her face was hidden behind her hands and her elbows rested on her knees.

"Who am I kidding..." Pearl muttered without warning. She sniffed lightly. Steven briefly wondered if she was crying. "This will never work. It would only take one thing to go wrong..."

"Maybe we should just tell them?" Steven gently suggested. He laid a hand on Pearl's shoulder. He could feel her stiffen at the suggestion, but she didn't verbally oppose his idea this time either.

"You don't want to tell them, I get it, sort of," he continued, looking away and towards the strawberries. "But I'd at least understand better if you told me. And I could tell them for us."

Steven paused. He really didn't know what to say next. He remained silent, expecting Pearl to have something to say, but no sound ever came. He turned to regard her only to see Pearl looking at him with an unrecognizable expression.

"You've grown so much since you first discovered your gem weapon," she admitted.

"What do you mean?" Steven was still unsettled by the strange look on Pearl's face as if she was looking right through him. Pearl looked away then took a deep breath, her shoulders rising with the action.

"We can tell them, but on one condition."

Steven didn't dare speak. Their conversation was making a odd turn, and he felt a nervous feeling bubble in his stomach, centered around the gem. He gulped. He fought the feeling and nodded.

"You need to order me to..." Pearl's hand almost flew to her own mouth again, but she hesitated, as if trying to frame her sentence carefully. "Y-you'll need to order me to explain everything I know."

Steven glanced around. _Order_ her? What sense did that make? "I...what?"

Pearl nodded as if confirming something. "Programming..." Pearl said softly. Steven racked his brain for any explanation to Pearl'a words.

Then it hit him.

Steven's eyes widened in realization. Did by programming, did she mean she really couldn't tell him? And she asked _him_ to order _her_?

"You were actually mom's Pearl?" Steven thought his opinion of his mother couldn't sink any lower, but it did. Mom had a Pearl.

Mom _owned_ a Pearl.

The headache returned full force. He blinked. Suddenly he towered over Pearl...again.

"Great..." Steven muttered, fully aware of what just happened.

"Steven, I'm sorry," Pearl spoke up next to him. Steven looked down by his leg to see Pearl still slumped down. "I always wanted to tell you everything, but I _can't_."

Steven looked ahead again, and then studied his hands. Mom's hands. He did tell himself he would fix mom's mistakes. Well, this was something that needed fixing.

He shut his eyes, breathing in deeply. "Pearl, I am...ordering you...nicely..." Steven ventured. Pearl's eyes widened and she quickly looked up at Steven.

"Please tell me everything..."


	5. Make up my Mind

She gently swiped an index finger across the disturbed ground. She brought it close to her visored eyes, rubbing her finger and thumb together.

"Hmm..." Garnet hummed, studying the scene.

There was no obvious reason, even to herself, why she was here.

Something told her that she should check the area out.

Her future vision.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Pearl's judgement...When Garnet peered through the alternating streams, stemming from the ground tremors, a spaceship appeared in her mind's eye. She didn't recognize it, and the experience compelled her to come to the forest where she saw her vision.

Apparently, some sort of fight took place here. The damage was a bit excessive for something any humans could pull off, unless they were handling destructive weapons.

Unlikely on Beach City.

So it was Gem related.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Steven lately," Garnet verbally observed. Although that wasn't strange in and of itself. He was 14 after all. But she hasn't even seen him since last night. That detail coupled with Pearl's sudden departure just seemed a little odd.

She stood up, surveying her surroundings. A fallen tree, wood chips, and mud were scattered around as if an explosion occurred. The only thing that made sense were two or more corrupted Gems battling each other. But even that sounded not quite right.

Garnet strided closer to the fallen tree. "The fight was localized here."

She slowly walked around the fallen limb, a hand under her chin. There was a track of footprints, resembling the gait of a rhinoceros. On the opposite side, the footprints of something bipedal. Or someone.

The bipedal footprints looked like they belonged to someone humanoid. They had a clean pattern- one foot after the other.

That denoted intelligence.

Garnet stared hard at the two sets of footprints, silent. It looked like two creatures collided here. But the context of it all escaped her. Very unlikely an untrained human could go toe to toe with a corrupted Gem beast.

What was under the tree? Garnet knelt down, intent on getting a closer look. From the looks of it, the tree had fallen on something.

...Maybe she should...

Garnet looked to the side of the tree, her focus drawn to a new, third set of foootprints. They were also bipedal, but larger.

"Yo, Garnet, find anything?"

Amethyst's voice broke her train of thought almost immediately. Garnet stood up, the fallen tree abd the third set of footprints forgotten as quickly as it it came to her mind.

"No," she answered evenly. "Just debris," she added thoughtfully. "Something happened here, but I don't have any specifics besides footprints."

Amethyst shrugged, all the while her hands folded behind her head. She just spectated while Garnet did her investigating, the purple gem feigning uninterest.

Steven's long absence did worry her a bit. He hadn't so much as popped in to let them know he was okay. The city was way too small for him to go unaccounted for for so long. Amethyst didn't want to remain quiet, either. It wasn't her nature to be a worrywort, so she simply asked a question.

"Think this has something to do with Steven?" she blurted out, kicking a small rock near her foot. "You don't think this is another go at kidnapping from Homeworld, do ya?" Amethyst hoped Garnet would say no. Then the Quartz would no longer have to worry about it. But Garnet's long pause was cause for concern for her. Amethyst sighed under her breath.

Garnet remained silent. Truthfully, she wasn't completely sure. Even though there was no obvious evidence for another abduction attempt, the thought of it worried her greatly.

"Steven...will be fine," Garnet assured after a telling pause. Based on what she could gather, something was coming...

"Most likely, Steven might be home already," Garnet assured. Outwardly, she sounded so confident, Amethyst was forced to believe it.

However, Amethyst's brows lowered imperceptibly at the silence, but she said nothing. If Garnet said Steven was okay, who was she to argue?

Well, anyway, Steven was safe in all of the possibilities Garnet could see. But there was so much confusion intermingled in them...The only way to set her mind at ease was to talk with either Steven or Pearl. Both, preferably.

"Let's head back," the fusion suggested, taking one last look at the fallen tree. She shook her head once, turning on her heel to trek back through the foliage.

Something told her she'd be back here sooner than she expected.

"Finally..!" came Amethyst's reply from behind. Even as Garnet left though, Amethyst glanced back at the tree that the other Gem had been investigating. She shrugged, hurrying along to catch up with Garnet. She might have to take a closer look herself, if only to see what was so interesting about it.

Although...

Amethyst knew she wouldn't bother coming back here. There wasn't anything to find here the first time around.

She turned on her heel and headed back, sparing a glance back at Garnet who had already dissappeared behind the line of trees. Amethyst shrugged, returning her gaze to the fallen tree.

It looked simple enough. Some sort of fight happened and snapped the tree in half. Or maybe a thunderstorm..?

She lifted the tree without much effort, only having to tense her legs to get a good grip on the wood. With an exhale, she pushed her arms forward, tossing the fallen tree a couple meters.

Before it registered, she had fell on her backside. She had tripped from backpedaling.

"No way..." Amethyst struggled to stand up, her knees uncharacteristically weak.

"I've _got_ to be imagining this...right?" Amethyst gulped, looking behind her. Garnet was no where in sight. She could be more than halfway back to the Temple by now.

Amethyst nearly reached out to see if it was real, but stopped short. If she brought it with her, Garnet might kill her just from how that would look. Besides, she felt sick just by looking at...it.

Panicking, Amethyst pulled at the earth and used it to cover the small area previously hidden by the tree.

"I promise I'll be back," she choked out. Amethyst paced back and forth, rubbing her temples.

"Talking to Garnet first is a _very_ bad idea," Amethyst spoke aloud. She paused, looking back at the disturbed earth. Her face fell. Maybe if she brought Garnet with her to find Pearl, and just told her it was extremely important.

"Gotta find Pearl!" She ran back towards the boardwalk towards the temple. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake by not immediately telling Garnet what she saw.

No, she couldn't doubt herself. Garnet may not show it obviously, but she was impulsive. She needed both Pearl and Garnet present before she broke the news.

\--

"Mom was Pink Diamond."

Steven said no more after that, trying to believe the words coming out of his mouth. Pink Diamond's mouth.

But it made so much sense, now that he thought about it.

That vision he had with Connie as Stevonnie on that planet. Seeing Yellow Diamond portrayed by Connie's mom in the dream.

That latter part really started to make some weird kind of sense now.

"I know this a lot to take in," Pearl sighed, slowly swiping a hand through her hair. "Rose's last request as Pink Diamond, was for us to never speak of it again..." Her brows furrowed. "I couldn't disobey, no matter how much I wanted to tell you."

Steven's eyes narrowed in thought, reminding Pearl of when Pink Diamond first found out what the Kindergartens were actually doing to Earth's soil. Funny how so alike Steven was to Pink Diamond in some ways before he had been poofed. Now that concept was too on the nose. Pearl tapped her forehead above her gem.

"I'm sorry, you're right," Pearl suddenly said. Her shoulders sagged at her own declaration. "There's no way we can hide this forever..."

Steven inhaled through his nose, taking a deep a breath as he could muster. He exhaled through his mouth, recalling the meditative audio tracks he would fall asleep to.

"We should just tell them," Steven said, crossing his arms. Pearl watched him, a conflicted expression on her face.

"If I'm _literally_ Pink Diamond now, I have to accept that. Mom lied once. This just means coming clean is going to feel much heavier now," Steven breathed, massaging his forehead. He ended up messying his fringe of pink hair, which almost immediately snapped back into place.

Pearl blinked. Steven really was different from Rose. Pink would have been content to keep up the facade. She would have...she would have kept lying.

Pearl felt ashamed. She was trying to encourage Steven to lie as well.

She wondered how things would have changed if Rose was more like Steven. Would the rebellion still have happened the way it did if Pink declared her revolution as her true self instead of the Rose Quartz persona she adopted?

Pearl cleared her throat, forcing back the tears before they had a chance to form.

"Alright. If we're doing this, you should let me talk to Garnet first before she sees you."

Steven nodded.

And then the Warp Pad activated.

Garnet and Amethyst stepped off, the former's gauntlets materializing.

Garnet did not look like her usual composed self. Her teeth were gritted, and her fists were in fact shaking.

Amethyst on the other hand looked totally confused. There was no recognition in her eyes, and she could only blink in puzzlement.

Amethyst was the first to step forward. "Guys, I have to tell y-"

Garnet blocked Amethyst's advance with a raised arm. "Wait."

Amethyst was about to ask what was wrong before Garnet cut her off, her question directed at the large, pink gem.

"Pink Diamond," Garnet was deathly calm. The largest Gem's face was unreadable. "How are you here..?"


	6. Hit the Diamond

"Pink Diamond?!" Amethyst's eyes were as wide as saucers, probably even moreso than that. Garnet was on guard, her fists balled. She looked about ready to pounce.

Amethyst quickly glanced between Pearl and the larger Pink Gem that cast a large shadow over them. It was deathly quiet at the moment between the Gems, and the waves crashing against the rocks sounded almost deafeningly loud.

Amethyst noticed Pink wasn't nearly as tall as Yellow Diamond. The video call they'd seen when Peridot contacted Yellow suggested that Gem was simply gigantic. Pink Diamond looked to be about just under half of that height in comparison.

Which was still extremely tall of course for any normal Gem. But those were questions for a different time.

More importantly, how was Pink Diamond here? Amethyst was certain that she was shattered... She was constantly reminded of that fact any rare time she was mentioned by either Pearl or Garnet. Well, her shattering wasn't so factual anymore...

To say this was an awkward situation was a grievous understatement. The situation with Steven was depressing enough...but now Pink Diamond suddenly here? Now? After what just happened?

That couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

"...Are you sure, Garnet?" Amethyst hesitated to ask. She didn't want to sound like she was doubting her.

"Garnet, wait!"

Pearl stood in front of the larger Pink Gem protectively.

"Garnet, it's me, S-"

The fusion either hadn't heard or wasn't listening. She leapt into the air, chambering an arm, and punched downward. Her gauntlet went flying like some launched rocket, directly toward Steven.

The Diamond flinched, raising his arms to shield his face.

An explosion combusted from the collision of fist on arm followed by a trail of smoke.

"Steven!" Pearl cried. Garnet started at Pearl's cry.

"What?"

Garnet's gaunlet reformed, and upon. landing back on the ground, readied another fist. "Pearl, back away," she ordered. "You're hysterical."

The other Gem didn't comply, and instead stood between the fusion and the Diamond again.

"Garnet, stop!" Pearl demanded, raising a warding hand. Exasperation was clear in her tone. Her expression was reinforced by her spear materializing in her free hand.

The silence returned with a vengeance. "Pearl."

Garnet's simple statement of her name seemed to hold a great many meanings, known only to the fusion. But one emotion seemed to ring clear through the one word.

Dissapointment.

Clenching her fist was all she could do to prevent from backing down. Garnet simply did not know! She couldn't! It was a miscommunication. She needed to get through to her!

"Garnet, it's Steven!"

Amethyst, who had hung back, noticed Pink Diamond's lack of action, nearly flinching at Pearl's declaration.

Pink Diamond is Steven?

"What-?!" Amethyst breathed.

"But Pearl, Steven is-" the small Quartz stopped short, glancing at Garnet.

The fusion no longer seemed as keen on fighting, but her gauntlets were still at the ready. She was still focused on Pearl and Pink Diamond...Steven? There was no way to be sure. Besides, how could it pissibly explain what she saw back in the forest?

"Pink! What did you do to her?!" Garnet suddenly pointed at Steven, accusing. The largest Gem winced as if physically struck.

"Garnet, I didn't do anything, really!" he placated, both hands up in a warding gesture.

"Wrong answer."

Two gaunlets came flying at her again, like rockets. Steven meanwhile, struggled to think of a way to convince Garnet and Amethyst, raising her arms again to block an attack. He noted that he probably woundn't have been able to withstand attacks of this magnitude before.

A boom resonated as Pearl suprised him. She smacked one of the flying fists out of the sky with the staff portion of her spear and another one exploded from a blast of light, thanks to the spear's tip. The black haired gem frowned.

"Pearl, I don't want to fight you," Garnet said through clenched teeth. Her patience was running thin. Pearl swallowed. The idea of Garnet getting serious was not something she wanted to provoke.

Steven, on the other hand, frowned after what seemed like an internal debate, stepping forward and in between the two gems. Garnet raised her arms in an attack stance. Garnet broke into a dash towards the diamond, right hand cocked backwards into a fist. She was intent on poofing Pink Diamond as best she could.

 _ **KLANG**_

Garnet's mouth opened in suprise in the shape of an "o".

Garnet punched an immovable object. And that object was disturbingly familiar. It matched the Gem weapon down to the most minute detail.

"Steven's shield," Pearl observed in awe. It looked as it usually did, just bigger, apparently to compensate for Steven's size.

Garnet took a couple of unsteady steps backwards, her gauntlets vaporizing into the aether.

Steven took a step forward, hands raised in a show of non-violence. He inhaled.

"If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs."

Garnet slowly removed her visor, rubbing her primary eyes. Steven couldn't get a good look at what her expression might have been; she replaced them as quickly as she took them off.

An uncomfortable silence ensued, but to Garnet's credit, she seemed to be taking the turn of events well enough.

But then, why was Steven growing increasingly more nervous?

"Garnet..?"

She seemed to flinch at the mention of her name, which was an unusual reaction. She looked away.

"...No way," Amethyst piped up. She neared the largest Gem, eyes wide. "Steven?!"

Steven wanted to laugh, but now didn't feel appropriate, so he settled on a half smile, which ended up looking more like a grimace. He appreciated the temporary distraction. From the corner of his eye, he saw Pearl make her way towards Garnet.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier..."

"Dude, I thought you were..." Amethyst glanced at Garnet, who strangely was still standing off to the side, face hidden. Pearl was even shaking her shoulders, but the fusion wasn't acknowledging her. Pearl sighed in resignation.

Amethyst placed her hand over her own mouth, beckoning Steven closer.

"I thought you were dead, man..!" she whispered harshly, glancing again at Garnet's still form.

Now it was Steven's turn to be confused.

Pink Diamond's visage raised a brow, blinking.

"Why would I-"

Steven stopped short. Wait. He looked like Pink Diamond now. He knew he wasn't shapeshifting. His body was supposed to be organic. And organic bodies don't poof.

"Oh, no, this is bad!" Steven muttered. It sounded like an understatement even to himself. Was his...body...still out there in the woods somewhere? How hadn't this occured to him before now?

Steven suddenly felt lightheaded. He wanted to throw up. But technically he hadn't eaten anything, so all he could do was dry heave. Somewhere deep in his mind, he was thankful for that.

He knelt onto his knees to better see Amethyst.

"We need to get back over there," Steven declared, impatient worry laced in his voice.

"No need to tell me twice," Amethyst assured with a confident nod. "We'll, we'll figure this out!" she blurted. There was no hiding the reluctance in her voice.

The grass crunched beneath his feet as he stood up again, quickly making his way to Pearl and Garnet. Amethyst followed close behind, coming to a stop next to him.

"Garne-"

"I failed, Steven."

"What?"

Garnet was silent again, fists clenched.

"I...we were supposed to protect you, and this happened."

Garnet spoke in short, clipped sentences. She had her fists balled so tight, they were shaking.

"There was no way you could have known-"

Pearl attempted to console the other Gem, but her hand was swatted away by the fusion.

"How long did _you_ know?" Pearl started at the sudden venom in Garnet's tone. But she backed away suddenly, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, I...we..."

Pearl attempted to move torward her again, but the fusion suddenly grew blindingly bright. The other three gems shielded their eyes.

When the light subsided, they turned to see what happened. Pearl gasped, hand covering her mouth.

Two gems were sprawled on the ground, the both of them groaning in discomfort.

Ruby was the first to get up, rubbing her forehead. "Sapphire?"

The blue gem had already righted herself to a seated position. Her back was turned, and her head hung low.

"Sapphy, talk to me," Ruby pleaded, shaking the other Gem. Sapphire was unresponsive, not having moved a muscle. Ruby was absolutely miserable, trying to elicit some sort of reaction from her partner.

Pearl sighed, kneeling next to the both of them, hoping to offer some sort of support.

Great, Steven thought, more dysfunctionality in his "big happy family."

Steven felt someone tapping at his leg, and he looked down to see Amethyst looking at him.

Oh! The forest. He should probably head there quick, but he wanted to help Ruby and Sappire. Steven rubbed his forehead.

He shook his head. There wasn't anything he could do and he couldn't shake the feeling that this situation was his fault. A twisting feeling in his stomach returned, drawing his thoughts back to when he first blacked out from the incident in the forest.

He nodded to Amethyst.

"P, we'll be back. Gonna give them some space," she said in a hurry, awkwardly pulling along the much larger Gem.

"Huh?" Pearl turned only to see Amethyst and Steven dissapear into the Warp Pad.

"Where are they going..?"

The Diamond and the Quartz had warped back into the forest, a small distance from where his reformation occured.

It would take several moments before they got there, and to save time, Steven offered Amethyst his hand.

"You want me to...?"

Steven winced. He hadn't meant to offend. "I mean, if you want to-"

"Are you kidding? Awesome!" Amethyst leapt onto Steven's palm, finding that she fit comfortably onto it. With that, Steven began to move, nearly towering over the trees.

"My Diamond," Amethyst put up a mock salute, mimicking what she'd seen Peridot do.

There was an awkward silence before Steven and Amethyst burst into laughter.

Amethyst never failed to cheer him up. "Gosh, this is so weird. Never thought I'd literally become my mom, let alone a Diamond."

"You're telling _me_ ," Amethyst's boice trailed up. "To think this whole time, Pink Diamond was Rose Quartz, and oh yeah, you being a Diamond and all."

Amethyst scratched her head. "Does this mean that I've technically been serving my Diamond the whole time?" Amethyst exhaled, lying on her back. "Ugh, my head hurts."


	7. Figure Something Out

Although Amethyst meant it as sort of a joke, Steven grew reflective. Did that mean the Crystal Gems were technically Pink Diamond's court?

"Now that I think about it," Steven said aloud, urging Amethyst to crane her neck to regard the younger Gem. "If I got separated from mom's Gem, why am I still me?"

He hadn't the chance to meditate on it earlier, and now the thought was bugging him. Shouldn't Rose Quartz...Pink Diamond, be the one walking and talking right now? Sure, he looked like her now, down to even the smallest detail, but where was _she_?

"Beats me," the small Quartz replied, watching the tree tops drift past as she rested in Steven's palm. "I'm just glad you're okay." She scratched her head. "Or as okay as you could be, I guess."

"But enough about that!" Leave it to Amethyst to not let a conversation dwell on the negative. "How's it feel knowing that you're a reincarnated space queen?!"

Steven laughed nervously at her choice of descriptors. "It's...weird," he answered lamely. He tried to think of how to describe it in a way Amethyst would get. "Like if you were a chair for fourteen straight years, and then suddenly shapeshifted into a tank?"

"Oof," Amethyst simply answered. "Sounds rough. But at least you're still kinda you." Steven shrugged, even if Amethyst probably couldn't see him from her current angle.

"We're here," the Quartz announced, suddenly somber voiced.

Steven swallowed, lowering his hand to the ground. Amethyst lightly jumped off of it, walking toward a felled tree. The sounds of birds and other wildlife seemed to suddenly dull in volume, as if understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," Steven suggested, though he made no move to leave. Amethyst turned to look at him with sympathy before returning her gaze to a spot on the ground.

"I don't think we should just leave it here, though."

Amethyst was right of course. It mirrored his own conclusion. Didn't mean he had to like it. He stepped forward, stopping short just behind Amethyst. The smaller Gem then folded her hands into each other, fusing within a glowing, purple light, and once the light faded, what took the place of her hands was a shovel-shaped object, like something you'd find on a bulldozer.

With a few easy sweeps of her dozer arms, enough dirt was excavated to reveal what she'd been looking for.

It looked like it was sleeping.

"It's me..."

Amethyst stepped back, giving Steven some space. Her arms reverted back to normal, and she folded them behind her head. He reached toward the body on the ground, stopping short. He was almost afraid to touch it, looking at himself lying there.

"Am I...dead?" Steven asked aloud, finally mustering the courage to pick up the smaller human form.

He looked so pale. Without thinking, he formed a bubble around his human half. He held the bubble close to his face, examining the occupant as best he could.

"How're things looking?" Amethyst ventured, watching Steven's human half skeptically. Steven turned the bubble over repeatedly, trying to find any injuries. Nothing looked apparent, but thay did nothing to alleviate his fears. His human half was still pale, it's pallor definitely not clear enough to be healthy.

Steven sighed, pressing gently on one side of the bubble. Without so much as a whisper, it was transported to the burning room.

"I don't know..." Steven muttered.

xxxx

Although there were no apparent water sources, the environment was still bustling with activity. Spires and large buildings were dotted everywhere, and artful architecture could be spotted everywhere a person was to look. The largest structure overlooked the entire metropolis, it's shape in the image of a bust, the head looking down on it's subjects.

Yellow Diamond ignored all of this as she strided past masterfully built hallways. The hall was lined with architecture of figures, with pillars that intersected at it's ceiling. The space was tall enough for even a Diamond, so it was extremely tall to any other Gem. If one looked closely, the figures seemed to occasionally blink.

"Pearl," Yellow called as she neared what would probably be the closest thing to an Earth Parking Lot. Her massive arm ship was stationed here, surrounded by high walls, but no ceiling.

Her Pearl was already next to the ship, flanked on one side by a small group of Peridots.

"Pre-flight checks are completed. It is ready for departure whenever you are," Yellow Pearl announced, clutching a datapad to her chest.

"Good," Yellow answered, her steps quick. A hint of impatience was in her voice. Not directed at her Pearl, but she wanted to be off planet without any hiccups or delays. "Oversee the backlogs while I'm away."

"Yes, my Diamond!"

Satisfied, Yellow made for her ship. It's palm was face up, as if beckoning it's passenger onboard.

Normally, Yellow would at least have her Pearl tag along where ever she went, but this was a personal endeavor, for both her and Blue.

The Crystal Gems had made a fool of her and her sister Diamond. Not only did Rose Quartz escape their grasp, but she'd managed to somehow escape off planet, all while disguised as that ridiculous human form!

Yellow exhaled through her nose. Enough was enough. Her squad of Rubies were missing in action, her Jasper was AWOL, and the cluster had somehow not formed. She'd have to take care of this herself. Her and Blue together.

She pressed her palm against a hand reader on the ship. Without preamble, the previously smooth surface parted, allowing a doorway fit for a Diamond to enter.

"...Ugh!" Yellow instantly recoiled, almost losing her footing as she took a step back.

Standing just inside the ship was someone she did not want to see.

Arms spread wide as if in some eternal shrug, this particular Pearl had a disturbing smile frozen on her face. Along with all of that, this Pearl's left eye seemed to be missing, replaced by a spider web of what looked liked cracks and the impression of where an eye should be.

Yellow's Peridots were visibly shaken while Pearl held it together much better. Silently, Yellow waves away the Engineer Gems and her Pearl, an order they were all too happy to comply with.

The grayscaled Pearl seemed to watch them leave before her single eye returned to her.

"Yellow Diamond," the Pearl greeted, her voice sounding disembodied and unnaturally loud and booming. It was obvious the voice wasn't coming from the tiny Pearl. It was if she was no more than a loudspeaker.

Yellow hesitated in responding and cleared her throat. She had to get her act together. White wouldn't tolerate her acting weak in front of her.

"Uhm. White," Yellow returned the greeting as coolly as she could manage. She really wished she had been quicker in boarding the ship. How long had her Pearl been waiting inside, anyway? "What do you need?"

"I want you to capture the rebels when you reach the Earth."

How did White know she was-

"And Yellow," the Diamond in question halted her train of thought.

"I would talk with their so called 'Rose Quartz'."

So called? What did _that_ mean?

"You'll find out what it means," the Pearl answered, as if reading Yellow's mind.

"What _does_ it mean?" Yellow dared to ask. As if in response, the Pearl was encased in an opaque white bubble, obscuring her from view. Without warning, the bubble phased through the walls of Yellow's ship.

"Do control yourself when you arrive," White's disembodied voice reminded with an air of lazy condescension. "Unharmed. We have much to prepare for."

Yellow watched as the bubble continued unhindered through the cityscape, no doubt back towards White's ship.

"Prepare for what?" Yellow asked aloud. She knew White couldn't hear her. She no longer held White's attention and she was concerned with something else now.

Yellow sighed, stepping back into her ship. Did Blue also get a visit from their _dear_ elder Diamond? Yellow decided not to think about it. If she was successful, that counted for something, right? Perhaps White would finally acknowledge her progress.

She could only hope as she settled into her pilot chair.

xxxx

Several knocks were heard on the screen door, followed by another pause and then a second set.

It was nice and warm out today, so Connie had no problem if she were kept waiting. Steven had texted her earlier this morning, saying it was urgent. She'd wait as long as she needed to!

"I really hope he's okay, though..." she muttered to herself, an anxious feeling creeping up on her. But she squashed the feeling immediately.

"Bah, who am I kidding!" Connie crossed her arms and shook her head. "He would have done more than send a text message if there was something wrong."

To pass the time, she looked over the railing at the ocean, seeing the waves travel over the sand vefore receding. Turns out she didn't have to wait long.

Footsteps could be heard coming from the inside padding toward the door. It swung open, revealing Pearl on the other side.

"Oh, Connie..." the Gem greeted, seemingly surprised by her presence. "If I knew you'd be here, I would have had some snacks prepared," Pearl looked out of sorts, which was cause for concern.

"Um, well, Steven texted me. He asked me to stop by. He didn't tell me what the occassion was."

"Oh..." Pearl blinked as if just realizing something. "Oh! Uh, Steven! Connie's here to see you!" Strangely, Pearl called outside of the house and not in. Before Connie could question this, a voice behind her startled her.

"Hey, Connie," the nervous voice greeted. The girl whirled around, only to see a giant pink woman staring down at her.

"It's me, Steven."

Connie blinked once and the world suddenly began to spin.

She blacked out.


	8. Acclimation

"Mm..." Connie strained her eyes, attempting to open them. Everything seemed out of focus, and the only thing that made sense to her was that she was lying prone. It was comfy and felt a lot like a sofa.

Connie blinked again, clearing the fog from her eyes, and was finally able to see properly.

It was Steven's home. She recognized the Island counter that Steven would use to make his experimental snacks and when she sat up, she looked behind her to ser the staircase leading up to Steven's personal room.

Connie rubbed her forehead, massaging away the remnants of what felt like a headache.

"Thank the stars your okay!" Connie turned back around to see that Pearl had been seated next to her this whole time. "You suddenly fell unconscious," she continued.

"I don't know what came over me," Connie admitted. She came to the house like normal..."How long was I out?"

"Two and a half hours..."

Connie sucked her teeth. Two whole hours?! She never fainted before! At least she doesn't remember ever fainting. But do people ever actually remember fainting anyway? Connie shook her head. She was going off topic.

"Where's Steven?" she asked, stretching her back. Apparently her muscles haf tightened up on her from her impromptu sleep.

"About that," Pearl ventured. She tapped her chin, trying to figure out how to go about this. "It's why you fainted."

Connie frowned. "Is he okay?"

"Oh no, he's fine...technically," Pearl attempted to assure. "He's-"

"Connie, I turned into my mom..!"

The unfamiliar voice cut Pearl off and she winced at the cut and dry declaration. She shrugged at Connie's confused expression.

Connie looked back over to the loft, the source of the voice. She leapt off the sofa, making her way to the stairs and Pearl followed behind, hands folded nervously.

Peeking her head over the top of the stairs, she spotted a pink woman. Her back was to her, seated in front of the bed and Connie could only see her hair and the upper portion of her uniform.

While everything else was unfaimiliar, the hair is what stood out almost immediately. Yes, it was pink, but the shape looked almost identical to her friend. This Gem was the only person up here in the loft, and after what Connie heard...

"...Steven?"

The Gem turned his head for only a moment before looking back towards the wall. Steven seemed to be trying to retreat into himself. His shoulders were arched, his knees were drawn up to his chest, and he had his hands folded around his legs.

"Hey, Connie," Steven muttered, looking down at the floor. Connie looked away for a moment, thinking. She steeled herself, walking towards her best friend. She came to a stop next to him, and was able to get a good look at him this time. He was about three times his original height, if she had to guess, and he looked like a giant pink woman. She plopped down next to him.

"Steven, let's get one thing straight," she asserted, hand resting on Steven's. The Diamond started, eyes on Connie.

"No matter what happens, you're still my jam bud!" she continued, her tone more gentle. "This is nothing more than just more Gem stuff. I'm sure we can get to the bottom of this, no sweat."

"Really?" Steven asked, as if he couldn't believe what she just said.

Connie smiled, glad that he seemed to be out of his temporary slump. "Yeah!" she cheered, her energy infectious. "Remember Wyvern Orb Season 3?" Steven tried to hold in a laugh at this point.

"This isn't even my final form!" the both of them shouted simultaneously. They broke into uncontrollable laughter, the both of them holding their stomachs.

Pearl, who had been watching the exchange from the bed, smiled. She was grateful for Connie and Steven's friendship. Seeing it all made Pearl's eye tear up, especially the way Steven and Pink's laughs were so identical. But that was a long time ago, and it would be selfish to keep dwelling on the past. She wiped her eye, glad that Steven was feeling better.

xxx

"So you're human half was incapacitated and you woke up like that?"

Steven nodded. "At first I didn't even know what happened, just that I was bigger. It was longer before I realized my other self was out there somewhere."

Connie hummed in thought. The both of them were seated at a bench just a small distance from the edge of Beach City's boardwalk. There was barely any foot traffic, and on the rare occasion there was a passerby, they spared no more than a curious glance.

It was easy to forget how Beach City pretty much went with the flow of whatever happened. Nothing could perhaps top the ocean having been temporarily stolen.

"Where's other you now?"

Steven fiddled his thumbs. "I bubbled him. I didn't know what to do."

"I guess this answers what would happen if you're gem was removed."

Steven thiught about that. Did it mean that his mom really gave herself up for him? In the back of his mind, he always thought that if he somehow died, she'd come back.

It was something to think about.

"Yeah, I guess it does," Steven said, mainly just to keep the conversation from dying.

"Why don't we get something from the Big Donut?"

Steven brightened at this, but remembered something. "I...don't have my wallet with me."

"That's fine, I have a five on me!" she said, reaching over the bench's railing to grab her backpack off of the floor. She fished through it, pulling out the bill and waving it.

"You know, I find it funny how dollars have diamonds on them," Steven informed, looking at the sky.

"That _is_ interesting," Connie answered, turning the dollar over. "That reminds me of a fun fact my mom told me about," she added, pocketing the dollar. "In india, Black Diamonds are known as snake eyes because of their shape."

The girl hopped off of the bench, waving Steven over to follow.

The gem laughed to himself at the idea. "I bet Ronaldo would have a field day with that."

Before they neared the Boardwalk, Steven decided to try his hand at shapeshifting again. In anticipation, he rubbed his hands together and cleared his throat.

His form glowed and then shrunk in size to be about the same height as his friend. When the light disappeared, he was eye level with Connie.

The girl in question couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably, especially seeing as how Steven looked like a kid-sized Pink Diamond. Steven began to laugh as well as they headed into the boardwalk.

xxxx

After Pearl watched the two children leave towards the boardwalk, Pearl breatged deeply, prepared for thr coming conversation.

Garnet had yet to reform, and Pearl wasn't going to leave Steven with having to deal with having Ruby and Sapphire reconcile. They blamed the whole ordeal on themselves, Pearl knew, even though they couldn't have known that Steven inherited Pink Diamond's gemstone.

If anyone should be blaming themselves, it was herself, she thought. But enough wallowing in self-pity!

She stepped back inside the house. "Now where are they?" she asked aloud. "Burning room?"

Pearl wasn't entirely sure the room was reachable without Garnet, unless she were to traverse through rooms. Yes, that was it.

"I've never been in Sapphire's nor Ruby's room, so it could be tough going through there..."

Pearl opened the Temple's door, and the gem on the wall representing her own lit up. The wall slid open seamlessly, and she stepped through.

Pearl's room was full of natural beauty, signified by the cavernous walls framed by numerous waterfalls. The flowing water was soothing, and the floating pools colored the room in an array of cool colors. She had no time to admire it though, as she walked inside, cupping her chin in thought.

Pearl would attempt to find Ruby first. While it didn't seem like it on first impression, the hotheaded Ruby was the more grounded of the two when it came to surprises. Sapphire was cool under pressure, but Ruby was more flexible. Which was ehy she needed to find the red Gem. She was the only one that could really snap Sapphire back to her senses.

Strolling through her room, she scanned the area for any entrances to any of the other Gems' rooms. One puddle she took care to step over, recognizing it as Amethyst's. Her room was just much to messy, and falling intl there would only end in them having an argument about organization and cleanliness.

Continuing her walk, she could see orange light reflecting through the puddle.

"Isn't this Garnet's room?" Pearl asked herself, peering down. She peeked her head through, and sure enough, it was the burning room. The collection of bubbled gems were in their usual spaces, hovering above the stone floor. Seated in front of the lava pit wad Ruby.

Was the burning room actually Ruby's room?

Pearl grabbed hold of a nearby vertical pillar, using it to steady herself as she slid down, one foot on the pillar while her other was prepared to dismount. After a few seconds of this, she reached the bottom of the pillar, which was still a ways up. She allowed herself to drop, landing perfectly on the ground. Ruby was just a few feet away, still facing the lava pit.

"We messed up, Pearl. I messed up," Ruby said without greeting.

Pearl remained silent, instead opting to seat herself next to the other Gem.

"It's not your fault, Ruby," Pearl declared. "None of us were prepared for this." Pearl exhaled, resisting the compulsion to sigh. "I'm the one who should be sorry for not saying anything earlier. We all need to talk this out, but Steven needs our help."

"Right. Right!" Ruby said aloud. Dhe clenched a fist as if gaining confidence. "Let's go get Sapphire!"


	9. The Arrival

Before they realized it, it had already reached past 12 noon. After stopping by the Big Donut, Steven and Connie found themselves seated on the bench across from the pastry shop.

With a big sigh, Steven leaned back in his seat, still in his kid sized form. He found it easier now to at least shrink just his height to his normal Steven-y size without too much mental fatigue. It was when he tried to shapeshift his usual shirt, jeans, and sandals or tried to shapeshift into himself that the believed to be gone headache reared it's ugly head.

"Thanks for the donut Connie! I actually haven't eaten since, you know," he let the statement hang and took another bite of his chocolate pastry.

"No worries!" Connie dismissed, taking a bite out of her own glazed donut. "It was something to take our mind off of things for awhile."

Satisfied for the moment, and not wanting to crash from sugar intake, Connie placed her donut back into it's brown bag and hopped off of her seat.

"How are the rest of the Gems holding up?" she softly queried. "I saw Pearl before I...fainted," Connie winced at the memory. "But what about Garnet and Amethyst?"

"Pearl and Amethyst are okay," Steven answered. Connie noticed the very clear omission. "Pearl took it the easiest. It's a long story," he said, holding the half donut up to his face.

"Amethyst won't stop calling me 'Space Queen'".

Connie snorted at this.

Steven's slight smile dropped. "It's Garnet I'm worried about. She split up."

Connie gasped, hand to her mouth. From what Steven had told her, Garnet had split only one other time that Steven had known her. But just finding out Steven had Pink Diamond's gem wouldn't be enough to split her would it? Connie asked this aloud.

Steven's donut was forgotten now, and at some point, he'd already placed it atop his brown bag. "I uh..." Steven hesitated to answer her question, instead swiping his hand through his poofy, rose colored hair.

He explained how he and Pearl were at the Strawberry Battlefield. How Pearl was the first to find out what happened after he'd revealed himself to her, the talk they'd had and even the revalation that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond.

"I figured that's why you fainted," Steven explained. Connie, on the other hand, blushed, attempting to hide it with a cough.

"Actually, I was more surprised that you were turned into a giant woman," she said. "Besides that dream Stevonnie had, I didn't really have much of an opinion about Pink Diamond," she added. "That and that same Pink Diamond calling me by name."

"Yeah, I can see how that can be a bit surprising," Steven added needlessly.

Eventually, Steven addressed the elephant in the room.

"Garnet thought I was Pink Diamond and attacked me."

"Oh..."

Steven was quick to wave his hands. "I'm not worried about that. It was an accident, after all." He rested his chin in his hands. "Garnet wouldn't speak after she found out it was me and that's when she suddenly split," Steven's shoulders rose and fell as if he took a deep breath. "I've been abke to talk to Ruby the few times she's left the room, but I haven't seen Sapphire at all." Steven explained how any time he tried to talk to Ruby, any dialogue turned into Ruby babbling apologies and smothering him with "Are you okays". It made Pearl at her most overbearing seem aloof in comparison.

Connie rested a comforting hand on Steven's shoulder. "I'm sure they'll realize you're okay and not hurt over it. You're the Crystal Gems after all."

"Thanks Connie!"

Immediately after saying this, Steven clapped his hands together once. "Good talk," he declared. "What do we do now?"

Connie shrugged. "You're sure you're feeling better?"

"I think maybe Sapphire just needs some space," Steven replied as a way of answering. He hopped off the bench, and his form immediately returned to full height.

"Oops," he muttered. He didn't seem as bothered by it as he used to. "How's the weather down there?" he asked with a snicker, making Connie blow air through her nose.

"Very funny, Steven," she reprimanded, though her failure to keep a straight face didn't make her seem that upset.

Connie rubbed her chin for a moment. "Does Peridot know what happened?"

Steven did something in between a negative head shake and a shrug. "I kinda' forgot." Steven crossed his arms thinking. "I should probably go tell her..." Steven looked down, tapping a finger on his arm. "Not sure what she'd think about all this, but I don't want her to be out of the loop."

"I'll come with. It'll be easier with a familiar face around!"

xxxx

Steven and Connie returned to the front porch of the house, but had already searched everywhere inside. Connie was at the door while Steven stayed closer to the bottom of the steps. Right now, it'd be difficult for Steven to fit inside the house, let alone the narrow steps.

Unfortunately, Peridot was nowhere to be found. They'd searched the bathroom and the rest of the loft with no luck.

"Where could she have gone?" Connie wondered. "I remember you told me the barn's gone..." Connie paused, not needing to finish the sentence.

"Yeah," Steven acknowledged. He was leaning on the porch railing near the bottom of the steps (He was a bit fatigued from maintaining a smaller form). "There wasn't anything left behind-" Steven paused midsentence, with a shout of "I remember!"

Connie looked down from where she stood at the door. "Where is she?"

"Peridot, Amethyst, and I had went to the Kindergarden a week or two ago. Peridot wanted to see if plants could grow there again," he explained. Connie made her way back down the steps while he mulled it over. "That's the only other place I can think of."

"Sounds like a plan!" Connie declared.

xxxx

Blue Diamond held back a yawn as she sat in her chair. Both herself and Yellow had decided to wait before using the ships' gravity engines to propel them towards Earth. Instead, the ships travelled at their standard speed, the vessels' fingers enclosed like fists closing in on a target.

It may seem like Gems don't need sleep. And while this is true, Gems could grow tired like certain carbon based life forms if left with nothing to do. She'd usually be handling documents and other paperwork, but all of the free time left her to rest the side of her face on one hand. She initially passed the time by watching the stars, but eventually her eyes grew heavy. It was a sensation she wasn't used to, as she was always working or moving about, but it was a strangely comforting feeling, so she let the heaviness in her eyes persist.

When Blue opened her eyes again, the weight of sleepiness was gone, but something was off.

She was no longer seated in her ship. Instead, she was standing in a large rocky expanse that looked like a canyon.

"Where-" Blue slowly surveyed her surroundings, looking for a familiar object or labdmark. There were figure shaped holes dotting the walls, and it was hundreds of these shapes.

"A kindergarden," she whispered, hand to her chin. She looked uo at the sky, noticing the blues of the atmosphere and the whites of the clouds.

Was this Earth? Blue grimaced at the thought, not sure how to feel about it. It was where she and Yellow were headed, and the landscape looked a lot like the planet when she was here hundreds of years ago...

Blue wasn't sure what was going on or why she was standing there on Earth, when she should actually still be in space on her ship. She sighed. Since she was here, she decided she would have to get a better grasp of where exactly on Earth she was.

The Kindergarden looked barren of course, with dark colored rock and even darker dead soil on the ground. The lack of life in the area saddened her somewhere in the back of her mind, but she squashed the thought. It didn't matter. She stepped forward, examining the holes along the canyon walls. This was apparently the Prime Kindergarden, if she remembered correctly. She'd helped to oversee the construction of this one when Pink was first given her own colony.

But none of that explained why she was standing here, at this moment.

"So how'd the testing go?" a separate voice suddenly asked. Blue started, looking towards the ground. The voice seemed to have floated up from somewhere below her. Blue kept moving, attempting to track down the owner of the voice.

"Well, we had found what we thought was a plant, but it turned out to be a corrupted gem," a strangely familiar voice replied to the unknown one. As a matter of fact, it sounded _too_ familiar. She quickened her pace, one arm using one of the canyon walls as a support. Something told her she needed to see who that second voice belonged to.

"Peridot's still hoping that plants can grow here. I hope so too. Amethyst didn't say, but I think she hopes so too."

That voice spoke again. Blue felt tears threatening to escape from her eyes, hoping this wasn't some sick illusion she was experiencing. She knew that voice, she _knew_ who it belonged to!

Just as Blue began to turn the corner, the owner of the two voices came into view.

She didn't recognize the organic creature. It had short black hair, wearing strange looking appearance modifiers. It was small enough to fit in her palm.

But that was only a passing observation. What seized her attention was who was walking next to her.

Easily three or four times the size of the organic at least, and about just under half of Blue's own height. Rosy pink hair, the Gem embedded in her stomach.

Blue gasped. It felt like the air was sucked right out of her.

It couldn't be. But she was right there ahead of her.

This time the tears did escape from her eyes. The blasted moisture in her eyes began to blur her vision and she reached out towards her sister.

"Pink?!"

Pink Diamond began to turn around, but before she could see her face-

"My Diamond?"

"Huh..?"

Blue blinked her eyes aggressively, suddenly surrounded by the familiar environment of her ship. Something wet was on the side of her face, and she swiped her hand across.

So she really _had_ been crying. Below her, near her feet, a gem was looking up at her, concerned. A thin thing, with short hair and the standard uniform. A Nephrite, she think it was. How long had that gem been standing there? How unsightly, she chastized herself, to lose her decorum in front of someone else like that.

"I am fine, return to your duties," she ordered, not unkindly. The Nephrite crossed her arms in salute and left without another word. As soon as she vacated the room, Blue released a drawn out sigh, as if all her energy was gone.

"That had to have been real," Blue said to herself. She pressed a button on her chair. Yellow needed to know what she saw.

Pink Diamond was alive.

xxxx

Steven suddenly paused, turning around. He squinted, looking around for something.

"Steven?" Connie asked. "Everything okay?"

"Huh..?"

Connie looked concerned as she watched him. "You kinda spaced out for a second," she explained. She hesitated before continuing. "You didn't respond for almost two minutes."

"I," Steven cleared his throat. "Sorry, I thought I heard something...behind me," Steven answered, attempting to spit anything out of the ordinary.

"Maybe Peridot's nearby?" Connie offered. Steven shook his head to clear his mind. "You-re probably right," he said, smiling. He knelt down, offering his hand, and Connie hopped on. "Let's check near where the lab was. She might be near there." Steven and Connie took off, dashing passed the holes dotting the Kindergarden.


	10. Back to Kindergarden

_A/N: Apologies for people confused about the completed tag on the story. I initially planned this to be a one-shot, but decided to turn it into a full story after all the positive feedback. Don't worry, the story is a long way from ending and I removed the 'completed' tag._

xxxx

"So, what's our plan?" Pearl gently asked. Her and Ruby were currently still in the Burning Room, the light of the cauldron's magma reflecting off of the hovering bubbles. An extra bubble was recently added, but it was so high up near the ceiling, it went totally unnoticed.

Pearl watched Ruby carefully, noticing the way her brows creased in worry or how her hands gripped each other, the tension clearly visible. Occasionally, she would stare at the palms of her hands. Pearl could guess that Sapphire's absence was making her nervous.

Pearl didn't often get the chance to interact with Garnet's component Gems. She just wished it wasn't always a negative catalyst to these meetings. She was reminded of earlier, when Garnet swatted her hand away. Pearl suppressed a sigh. This was her fault. It seemed like she'd been the source of Garnet's -and by extension, Ruby's and Sapphire's - emotional pain as of late.

She rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Oh, sorry," Ruby replied, realizing she hadn't acknowledged Pearl's question. She had been staring at the large cauldron, as if it would reveal answers to any questions she might have.

Ruby cleared her throat and rested her chin on one palm. "She might be in her room, but I'm not completely sure," she stated, picking herself up from off the floor.

Pearl filed away that information. Apparently, this was Ruby's room.

"Follow me!" the smaller Gem insisted, running past the cauldron towards one of the room's corners hidden in shadows. Pearl followed close behind, carefully watching her step. She had the feeling that if she slowed down for any reason, she'd lose track of the fiery Gem quickly.

The path Ruby lead Pearl through was a winding hallway, not visible at all from where they stood earlier by the cauldron. It was just tall and wide enough for Pearl to comfortably walk through, only needing to duck her head just so.

The walls looked just like those of the burning room, except it's texture began to look more and more cavernous as they progressed. No longer smoothed and streamlined, it looked jagged, the rocks having no clearly defined pattern. The stone was transitioning from the earthy red and browns to more cool blues and blue-greens.

Oddly, Sapphire's room looked less orderly than Ruby's, favoring a cavernous room with stalagmites dotting the perimeter. Pearl almost thought it should be the other way around.

"It's been ages since I've been here," Ruby said to no one in particular. She continued to drag Pearl along, pausing briefly at forks in the previously singular pathway.

Now that Pearl studied their surroundings, the possible pathways seem to multiply as they traversed deeper into Sapphire's room. The rooms were usually a reflection of their own psyche...

Were her thoughts always so numerous and perhaps muddled?

"I think it's this way."

Pearl was led even deeper into the cavernous network. They finally came to a stop in a circular space, surrounded on it's perimeter by tunnels that looked like the one they just vacated.

"Saph?" Ruby called out. The space wasn't as well lit as the tunnels were, and one almost had to squint to see ahead of them.

"Sapphire?" Pearl lent her voice. There was no response, and the lithe Gem had the suspicion that the former seer did not want to be found.

"Sapphire!" Ruby's voice wavered, and she paced back and forth, hoping to spot the other Gem sitting somewhere within the shadows. No answer came, and nothing was present to greet them except the dimly lit space and the increasingly confusing network of tunnels.

Ruby groaned loudly in frustration, nearly pulling her hair out in her anger.

"I ruined everything!" Ruby exploded, dropping to her knees, slamming her fists on the ground. Pearl rushed to her side.

"Ruby! It's okay, we'll find her-"

"You don't understand, Pearl!" the red gem interrupted. "She's mad at me!"

"Huh, but why?" Pearl probed. Surely, Pearl surmised, Sapphire would be upset with her of all people. She had hid this information for so long, even if unintentional. "Shouldn't she be upset with...me?"

"Yeah, she's upset about...Pink Diamond," Ruby said the Diamond's name in a mumble. "But I told her it wasn't a big deal!" Ruby admitted. "I said it without thinking," she continued. "I even told her she was overreacting!"

Ruby clenched her fists on the ground. "She's mad at Rose, at me," she continued. She sat up, hugging her legs. "She said I couldn't have seen it, that she should've." Pearl was sure she heard her sniffle. "She's right."

Pearl winced at the supposed harsh words from Sapphire. "No, no, no..." Pearl soothed, rubbing circles in Ruby's back. "She's just working through the shock of it is all..." Pearl said, hoping she wouldn't say anything to make the situation worse. Ruby didn't respond, only hearing the occasional sniffle from her. Pearl wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

"Ruby, come with me," Pearl softly insisted, pulling the smaller gem to her feet. Times like these were usually where Garnet was the emotional pillar. Or Rose. But now it was up to her, and Amethyst and Steven were nowhere to be found. Steven would probably know just what to say right now, but it wouldn't be fair to drag him into this. He was dealing with enough.

She was definitely out of her element.

Right now, Sapphire didn't want to be found. So in the meantime, Pearl needed to find a way to cheer Ruby up.

"C'mon, let's go see Greg," she decided, leading Ruby out of the tunnel as if she were some lost child.

If anybody could get Ruby out of her funk, perhaps Greg could do something.

xxxx

"I think it's down here," Steven ventured, examining the horizontal doors. Or more accurately, where the doors used to be. The large pit was lacking in light, lit in random intervals by wiring that was forcefully ripped halfway from the walls. There were no sparks, but some wires were lit at their exposed ends, giving the appearance of a subway tunnel.

Connie shuffled closer to Steven, peering down the opening.

"Did a boulder crash through this thing?

"Yes," Steven deadpanned. Connie hummed, readjusting her backpack.

"It looks pretty deep," she continued, straining to see further down. "Is the lift busted?"

Steven's larger form looked around, trying to spot a console of some sort. "No buttons to call a lift," he announced. "Might have gotten flattened." He offered his hand. "Another ride?"

The girl acquiesced, stepping again onto her friend's palm. "I know I'm probably tracking dirt on your gloves." Steven stuck his tongue out, sounding out a raspberry.

"I'm not really a gloves person anyway," he dismissed. With another careful look down the makeshift tunnel, Steven meandered his way into the lift pathway. He was just large enough that he could slow his descent with his back and legs pressed against opposite sides of the walls. He held Connie protectively to his chest, cupping his other hand over her as if holding a bird.

"Alright, here goes," he announced, releasing pressure from his feet on the wall.

The drop was sudden to Connie, even after Steven's verbal warning. She braced herself, gripping Steven's large fingers like handlebars from a roller coaster.

"wwooaAAAhH..!" Connie felt her hair rising and some of her locks ended up obscuring her vision. An array of colors zipped past her compromised eyesight, looking like a sped up recording of night time traffic from a bird's eye view. Wind whipped at her face, even though it was very warm the deeper they descended. She didn't dare try moving the hair out of her face for fear of flying out of Steven's hands.

As soon as the butterflies in her stomach began to make her teeth chatter from adrenaline, the ride was over and Steven had already knelt down to allow Connie to hop off.

She settled on rolling off instead, the feeling having not yet returned to her legs.

"Connie?" Steven's motherly sounding voice carried over.

"Don't mind me!" the prone girl assured. "I just need a second."

True to her word, she stood up not long afterward, hands on her knees.

Steven turned his head, examining his surroundings. The control center looked about the same as he remembered. The main differences were that the large monitor was repaired from the fight back when they were still chasing Peridot, and he was now about eye level with the middle of the screen. The monitor itself was simply large, It's screen really about the size of a mid-sized house.

"Peridot!" Steven called out. "You there?" He cupped his mouth to project his voice, but his large form already helped his voice carry far enough. Connie joined in as well, moving towards the junction box, seeing if she could see the short, green Gem anywhere.

Steven and Connie seemed to be the only occupants in the room, but the place was obviously refurbished. Besides the monitor, the generators, slightly square shaped batteries that vaguely reminded Steven of an abstract organ were pulsing with light. There looked to be a new addition to the ceiling, overhead lights that looked more like something from a warehouse than from a technologically advanced alien civilization.

"I hope those weren't stolen," Steven muttered.

"Connie? Is that you?!" Peridot's voice sounded from the other side of one of the walls. Connie nearly jumped at the sound of loud banging and then a muffled explosion. Steven and Connie shared a look.

"Hold on, I'm coming out," Peridot announced. Part of the wall, to the left of the monitor, suddenly gave way, creating rubble on the ground.

In rode Peridot, mounted on a tractor, farmer hat balanced preacariously on her geometrically shaped hair.

"Oops," she muttered, looking behind her at the destroyed wall. She put the tractor into park, resting her arms on the steering wheel.

"Hello, Connie," Peridot greeted, tipping her hat. "And who is this inordinately tall companion you've brought with you?" She squinted at Steven, looking him up and down. There seemed to be no recognition in her expression.

Steven and Connie shared a look.


	11. Family Reunion, part 1

To Steven and Connie's surprise, Peridot did not recognize the Universe child's form in the slightest.

Peridot hopped off the rust colored seat of the tractor, sliding off the forest green hood, dismounting with ease.

"Hmm, you don't look like any cut of Gem I know," Peridot mumbled, walking over to stand by Connie.

The human took a deep breath, closing her eyes while inhaling. "Peridot, to give you a heads up, this is-"

"Hold on, Connie," the small Gem interrupted, lazily waving her hand in Connie's face as if shooing a buzzing insect. "Have you forgotten I'm a licensed Kindergardener?" Peridot had already started walking towards Steven, leaving Connie with a blank, confused expression.

The little green Gem circled Steven slowly, looking over every part of him with a critical eye. It was a little unnerving for the former half-Gem, but it was balanced out by Peridot's constant poking and prodding, which tickled.

"To have a hue of this color, you'd have to had incubated from at least as deep as the Earth's mantle," Peridot said aloud, a sudden tape measure in hand. No one knew where she obtained it from. "If you're from Earth, that is," she resumed, making seemingly random measurements. She darted around Steven, measuring his fingers, the width of his feet, and whatever else she could manage.

"In conclusion, I have no idea what you are," Peridot said, her excitement matched only by her utter confusion. Returning to the tractor, she popped open the trunk while Connie moved to follow.

"Um," Connie began, suddenly hesitant to break the news to the Gem. She looked back towards Steven, who smiled, shrugging a single shoulder. It seemed to say that everything would be fine. Or at least that was what she'd interpreted it as. Had Steven ever shrugged with one shoulder?

Looking back at Peridot, she observed that she was replacing the measuring tape she had been using.

"So Peridot, here's the thing," Connie said, silently clapping her hands together. "Steven had kind of gotten injured, and-"

Peridot whirled around, concern on her face. "Oh no! Is he okay?" she interjected. She stepped away from the tractor, looking around.

"Say, where _is_ he, anyway? Is he confined to a hospital bed?" Peridot gasped before Connie could clarify.

"Wait, don't tell me..!" Peridot demanded, finger tapping her temple. "Is he suffering from a broken heart?! Camp pining hearts says it's the most deadly disease!"

"Broken heart-What, no," Connie waved her hands as if literally swatting away the air of confusion. She pointed at the tall Gem behind her.

" _That's_ Steven," she explained. "We were also wondering if you might be able to help us."

Peridot adjusted the visor in front of her eyes, squinting at Steven's face.

" _That's_ Steven..?" she queried, retracing her steps back to the larger Gem. Steven nodded, kneeling on one leg.

"That's me," Steven said, speaking in the first time in a while. "I think I got poofed."

Peridot blinked, staring hard at Steven. "And you reformed into _that_?" Steven nodded. Peridot hummed.

"But you're supposed to be tiny," she replied, holding up her thumb and index finger for emphasis. "If your form is that massive, what happened to your organic half-Oh my," she cut herself off, the implications sinking in.

Steven got destabilized somehow and now he was full Gem? But why did his gem look like that, she wondered. She got a good look at the Gem this time, paying close attention to the facet and cut.

She nearly had a heart attack.

"Oh. My. Stars," she muttered. To the childrens' suprise, she retreated, hiding behind Connie, shaky hands on her shoulders.

"Peridot?" Connie questioned, trying to turn around, but Peridot held fast, keeping Connie in between the larger Gem and herself.

"It's finally happened!" she suddenly exclaimed, right into Connie's ear. "Pink Diamond's come back from the aether to take revenge on the Crystal Gems!" Connie tried, and failed, to pry Peridot off of her, the Gem's grip was too strong.

"And _I'm_ a Crystal Gem!" she cried, still turning in a semi circle with Connie. "I'm the most lovable member! Connie, ptotect me!"

Pink Diamond's visage rested it's raised leg on the ground, so that both knees were tucked under.

"Peridot, it's me," the imposing Diamond said, attempting a less aggressive posture. He seemed to think for a second, before the largest Gem snapped it's fingers.

"Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do-" Steven sang, emphasizing each syllable with a beckoning wave of his hand.

"Do-Mi-So-Do..." Peridot returned, stars in her eyes. She finally released her grip from Connie's shoulders, much to her relief.

"It's really you," Peridot muttered, staring with wide eyes.

It had been several minutes of Steven explaining the situation, Peridot interjecting with "Oohs" and "Wows".

Peridot was seated next to Connie on the floor while the both of them sat across from the Diamond.

"So you're telling me," Peridot ventured, hands folded in contemplation. "That your mother, Rose Quartz, was actually Pink Diamond?"

Steven nodded, arms folded. He tapped his finger on the off-white glove covering his hands.

"And you poofed, and reformed into Pink Diamond's form..?"

"Any way to reverse this?" Steven asked as a way of answering.

"Sorry, Steven. I'm at a loss," the small Gem explained. "This is unprecedented!" Peridot spread her arms wide. "It's amazing, really, but I wouldn't even know where to start."

Tapping her chin, the green gem hummed. "Where is...your Steven shaped shell?" Peridot hesitated mid-sentence. In her mind, that question didn't come out right.

"It's at the Temple right now, with the bubbled gems. At least until I can figure something out." Which is what brought Connie and himself to the Kindergarden.

So Peridot, Connie, and Steven brainstormed for most of half an hour.

"What if you did that sleep walking thing on yourself?" Connie offered. At this point, she was lying on her back, one leg crossed over the other, her hands folded behind her head to keep it from touching the ground.

"Yeah," Steven began to agree. "But then what? Even if I'm back in my own body..." Steven sighed.

"You didn't see it. I don't think I could last long without my Gem."

Connie defflated at the news. "Any other ideas?"

"What if you tried fusing with...yourself," Peridot suggested slowly.

Steven and Connie blinked in response, the silence serving to cause Peridot discomfort. She blushed, clearing her throat. "Well, I mean, it's only a theory!" she spat defensively.

"No, no," Steven assured, his voice oddly soothing. "I just hadn't thought of that."

Connie switched her legs, still laying flat. "Is it possible?" she threw the question out there. The trio grew silent, mulling the prospect over.

"It's the only idea we've got," Steven pointed out. "I'm willing to try it," he announced. His thoughts strayed to Garnet, wondering if Ruby and Sapphire were okay.

Connie and Peridot were suddenly knocked off their feet by a particularly strong vibration through the room. Small pieces of rubble dropped from the ceiling, peppering the two smaller companions. Steven shuffled over to them, effectively standing between the debris and his two friends.

"What was that?" Peridot spoke up, peeking up from Steven's massive shadow.

The room looked about the same. Unfortunately, Peridot's tractor had fallen over in the confusion. Loose debris and sand continued to leak through the ceiling, concerning the green Gem. There shouldn't have been anything out there large enough to cause a tremor like that.

"Corrupted Gem?" came Connie's question. Steven stood up straight, squinting toward the lift pathway the gang took to enter the lab. He wasn't sure. The tremors had died down, leaving only an eerie silence.

Connie and Peridot righted themselves under Steven's form. Connie sucked in a breath with a groan.

"I didn't bring my sword..." she uttered, feeling a bit anxious. She hadn't brought it because she hadn't been expecting to train with Pearl today, nor was there any talk of a mission. So now she felt a bit naked without her weapon.

Peridot broke the silence by being the first to walk out into the open.

"We need something to get back up there," she announced, walking towards the remains of the broken lift platform.

Peridot rubbed her hands together before spreading them forward towards the metal debris. Connie was about to ask what she was doing, before the metal began to float in place before melding together with slightly unpleasant crunching sounds.

"Woah," Steven and Connie said in unison.

"I saw your powers before, but when'd you learn to do that?" Connie breathed, watching in wonder.

The little green Gem had her hands folded together as if she were trying to crush a paper ball or a soda can in between her hands. "Well, so far, I can only make discs," she explained, grunting with effort.

After a few more seconds of Peridot's grunting and the crunching of metal, the debris was formed enough to make a crude disc large enough for even Steven's new height and mass. They all stepped onto it, Peridot and Connie in his palm.

With a bit of overdramatic flair, Peridot raised her arms towards the sky and the disc along with the small group ascended.

The first to peek out of the hole into the surface was in fact, Connie. She looked side to side quickly, before pulling herself up from the tunnel. She offered a hand, pulling Peridot out, followed by Steven easily climbing out on his own.

"There doesn't look like there's anything here that could have-" Connie was interrupted by Peridot impatiently tapping her shoulder. She didn't have the chance to adk what was wrong before the Gem pointed toward the sky.

Hovering just above the largest cliffs of the Kindergarten were to massive spacecraft. One yellow, the other blue. Each one was about just short of the length of a football stadium and about half as wide.

"The Diamonds," Steven murmured, a bad feeling creeping through his gut to spread to his fingers.

"You mean like the leaders of Homeworld?" Connie asked in disbelief. What would the both of them, let alone one be doing here on Earth?

Peridot was unexpectedly the first to snap out of it. She tugged on Steven's legging, drawing his attention.

"Steven! We have to hide!"

"But-"

P-dot waved her hands frantically. "If they see you, nothing will stop them from abducting you!"

"Pink..." Everyone jumped, looking behind them. Behind them stood Yellow, a disbelieving expression on her face.


	12. Family Reunion, Part 2

_A/N: Apologies for the late upload. I work Security so my occasionally 12 hour shifts make tire me out too much to upload. Don't worry, I'm still working on this._

\--

No one said a word. The uncomfortable silence was broken only by the wind blowing through the kindergarden. The Peridot, the organic, and Pink Diamond herself were struck speechless. Yellow Diamond was only several long paces away, but she seemed to be dumbstruck as well.

She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"You're... _not_ shattered?" Yellow could only ask. There were perhaps dozens of other questions that flitted through her mind, but that obvious inquiry seemed to be the only one she could manage to voice.

Pink Diamond, to Yellow's annoyance and mild curiosity looked quite standoffish if not a bit intimidated. Her fellow Diamond just stood there, not having answered her question.

That was when Yellow's confusion was replaced by anger.

"How are you here?! _Why_ are you here?!" The largest gem present demanded. Pink still did not say anything.

"Why won't you answer me?" she continued, a bit disturbed by Pink's lack of reaction. Yellow noticed how Pink took a half step in front of the Peridot and the organic.

Yellow stared at the Peridot a second too long, having noticed the yellow diamond insignia on her chest. Spooked, the small gem retreated further behind Pink's leg, somehow managing to still look defiant. She ignored her for now, returning her gaze to Pink.

Thinking about it now, a question seemed to nag at the back of Yellow's mind. If Pink was here, where was Rose Quartz?

Was Pink actually shattered? No, she thought. The proof was in front of her.

Which meant Rose Quartz lied. Blue's strange prediction or whatever experience she had turned out to be true.

"Thousands of years, Pink," She ventured, suprised at her own calmness while speaking. Pink Diamond shifted slightly to the side, completely obscuring the other two from view.

"How could you make us think you were shattered for thousands of years?"

Pink recoiled at the accusation as if having been physically struck.

"Hey!" the organic spoke up, noticing the young Diamond's hurt expression. "Leave him alone!"

...Him?

Pink again, did not answer. Why? She was always so...upbeat, sometimes annoyingly so, but now, everything seemed wrong somehow. And she wasn't providing any answers.

She was acting like a total stranger. And she wouldn't admit it aloud, but it was strange and even a bit disturbing in her eyes.

"I'm-" Pink seemed to be thinking hard about what to say next. Her brows were furrowed, and she refused to meet Yellow's glare.

"I'm not Pink Diamond-"

Yellow's eyes narrowed in visible confusion.

"What."

"At least, not anymore," Pink continued. She sighed. "You wouldn't believe me even if I tried to explain it." The last part was muttered, and Yellow almost wondered if she wasn't meant to hear it.

"We're going home," Yellow announced, finality in her tone. She wasn't in the mood for this. There were simply too many things happening. "Let's go," she ordered.

Yellow could guess that Blue would be overjoyed, and they would return home and they would all get this sorted out-

Pink said something but she hadn't heard. Maybe Yellow did hear, but didn't want to acknowledge it.

"I said no."

Yellow's eyes widened in disbelief. She blinked, attempting to make sense of Pink's rebelliousness. Had this planet made her go mad? Yellow glanced at the organic and the Peridot, hoping to glean from them some answer that never came.

"Did you hear me?" Yellow made to grab for Pink's arm, but the shorter of the two violently snatched it away. Yellow could only stare in surprise.

" _What_ are you doing?" The taller Diamond interrogated, utterly confused.

"Yellow Diamond-" Yellow raised a brow at the overly formal acknowledgement. "I'm not going back to Homeworld."

Yellow watched her spread an arm towards the Kindergarden surrounding them. "My place is here. And I need to fix what you two did to the gems here."

Fix? What was Pink talking about? Yellow found herself more confused the more she continued to talk.

All of the gems on Earth were utterly destroyed. They'd made sure of that. The only explanation was that she was being manipulated somehow. Why else would Pink be gone for so terribly long, only to be babbling nonsense?

"So that's what it is," Yellow said, as if coming to some conclusion. "Rose Quartz didn't shatter you. She...She warped your mind somehow!"

"What?!" Pink nearly exploded, as if the very idea was absurd. "Yellow, you're not listening to what I said!"

"Which one of them is it, Pink?" Yellow continued, at the same time disregarding and proving Pink's earlier point. "Which of them have been planting ideas in your head? Is it the organic?" she scathingly asked, pointing at the girl who'd jumped from her hiding place.

Pink all but shielded the small thing, as if Yellow just threatened to annihilate it.

"That defective Peridot?"

The Gem in question only continued to pout from the safety of Pink's leg.

"Then there's only one solution," Yellow continued, briefly closing her eyes. She looked almost pained, before she schooled her features. When she opened her eyes, her face betrayed nothing. She had, however, balled her fists. Electricity bounced between her fingers as if eager to lance at their target. Thrusting her right hand forward, her hand positioned as if she was reaching toward the other Diamond. The lightning crackling at her fingers leapt toward the two Gems and the organic, like attack dogs let off a leash.

Pink gasped, bringing her arms up defensively. Caught unprepared, Pink was staggered, the lightning managing to push it's target several feet backwards. She landed on her back, a groan escaping from her. A thin wisp of smoke emanated from one of her arms.

Yellow meant to destabilize her. She sucked her teeth, deciding to get rid of the other two. She balled her outstretched hand, sans a finger and thumb. Pointing at the Peridot and the organic, her hand was pointed as if shooting a gun, and concentrated lightning shot from her finger towards the unsuspecting duo.

"No!"

Pink struggled to get up, trying and failing to launch herself towards the bolt of lightning, to Yellow's shock. Unfortunately, she was too weakened to do anything.

"What are you-"

 ** _KLANG_**

Yellow was cut off by a metallic disc colliding with the side of her face, snapping her head sideways.

Rubbing her cheek, she regarded the Peridot warily. The Gem in question had her hands stretched outwards. She still looked defiant and worried at the same time.

When did Peridots have the ability to manipulate metal?

 _Never mind that,_ Yellow thought impatiently.

She thrust her hand forward again, and the blast of electricity struck true.

"WHaAauGh-"

In a puff of smoke, Peridot's gemstone uncerimoniously clattered to the ground.

With a cry of dismay, the organic ran towards the destabilized Peridot, collecting her and cupping her in it's hands.

Yellow returned her glare to Pink.

"I won't repeat myself. We're going."

"Is she okay?" Pink suddenly asked the small being next to her, her attention on the organic.

"Yeah, but," the girl paused, glancing warily at Yellow Diamond before looking back at Pink. "Peridot was poofed."

Yellow bit back a drawn out exhale. Pink seemed to ignore her as if the exchange from moments earlier never occured. The elder Diamond raised her hand again, fingers sparking.

She immediately withdrew it with a pained cry, when a flat disc collided with her hand.

Nursing her hand, her breath caught it in her throat. Time seemed to stand still, her eyes glued to the object that returned to Pink's hand. The younger Diamond still refused to look at her. Her hand was still outstretched, as if she had just caught the rebounding shield only a second ago. But it had been much longer than that. The silence had stretched on for longer than she'd thought.

That was Rose Quartz's shield.

...Pink had summoned Rose Quartz's shield...

Yellow glanced around, blinking, as if she were trying to dispel an illusion.

"But that's..." Yellow took a step back, all of the confusion returning with a vengeance. Her hands dropped to her sides, however. There was no more fight left in her.

"How _could_ you?" was all Yellow managed to spit out. To a seemingly surprised Pink, Yellow's voice didn't sound as acccusatory as expected. She sounded tired, hurt even.

Pink said nothing, allowing the shield to vanish into the ether. The same hand having held the shield was now cradling the organic and the incapacitated Peridot. Steadily, Pink slowly stood up, the organic now holding the Peridot's Gem in it's tiny hand.

"I..." Pink paused, sighing. "I can explain, but you'd have to hear me out," she answered slowly.

Yellow was having trouble processing all of what happened. Pink refused to come home, she was protecting an organic, and harboring a Gem fugitive, apparently.

"This is all so unorthodox," Yellow stated, her voice lacking the usual authority it held. She rubbed the spot between her eyebrows, sighing. She paused, seeming to remember something.

"Did White know..?"

With Yellow muttering to herself, Pink and her organic "friend" shared an uneasy glance.

"Fine," Yellow finally said aloud, her tone seeming to return to normal. "Once Blue gets here, we'll...talk."


	13. Family Reunion, Part 3

Greg sighed tiredly, swiping a rag across his forehead. Business was moving at a steady pace, allowing him to wash about two or three cars a day. Realistically, that wouldn't be enough to live on, if say, you lived in a house, but his home was his van and he was kind of a multi-millionaire. If anything, washing cars was more of a paid hobby now.

He sat on his favorite chair that had it's back to the car wash and provided a view of the street his car service was on. He placed the bucket he'd been carrying, now devoid of water, next to him on the ground.

"Maybe I should think about buying a house..." Greg muttered to himself at his train of thought. He shrugged, figuring he'd think on it later. They say 'Time is Money' and he was relieved to say that he had plenty of money right now.

The sun had just begun to set, and that meant it would be getting dark soon. He knew his son was fine, but he'd hoped Steven was okay out there, especially with his strange situation.

Another sigh escaped from him, more melancholic than the last. Pearl explained that Steven looked just like how Rose did before she came to Earth.

"Man, guess that's another unexplained mystery to add to the list," Greg said to himself. He remembered telling Rose that she didn't have to tell him anything if she didn't want to, but something about this development rubbed him the wrong way. He slumped in his seat, folding his hands over his stomach.

Gem stuff...he'd probably never understand it.

His eyes were beginning to grow heavy before he was yanked from sleepiness by someone shouting his name.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Greg nearly jumped out of his chair.

His eyes darted around before spotting Pearl and...

"Ruby?" Greg asked, uncertain.

"Hello Greg," Pearl began, attempting to smile but failing. Once they'd stopped walking, Ruby collapsed onto her back, hands folded behind her head.

"Hey, Greg," she greeted monotonously. She made herself at home on the ground and Greg learned that her and Amethyst seemed to he unbothered by the elements. If he'd laid down on the ground right now, he would be treating his back for severe sunburn.

Greg was no expert on Steven's Gem heritage, not by a longshot, but if Ruby was here, unfused, without her icy partner...

"Is everything okay..?" Greg ventured, not sure how to even begin.

Pearl tapped her fingers together momentarily, looking away.

"Ruby and Sapphire had a disagreement."

Ruby turned over to lay on her side, exposing her back to them.

"Disagreement sounds like an understatement," Greg commented knowingly. Pearl sighed.

"Garnet attacked Steven," she decided to say. She quickly brought her hands up placatingly at Greg's shocked reaction.

"She _what_!?"

He hadn't noticed, but Ruby had flinched at his outburst.

"Please, let me explain," Pearl soothed. By Greg's reaction, she was sure now that not even he knew Rose's original status. Of course, the one secret she knew that Greg didn't, it'd have to be something this painful.

"Greg," Pearl breathed in through her nose. "Rose was Pink Diamond."

Greg let out a long drawn out sigh that seemed to contain so much exhaustion. He realized he'd jumped out of his seat. He sat back down, all the previous anger slipping away, no matter how much he wanted to hold onto it.

He wasn't the one walking around as Pink Diamond, and having their world forcibly turned sideways. At least not nearly as much as his son, who had to be struggling much more than he was right now. And when he glanced at Ruby's small form, he just couldn't stay angry. Not with everything happening all at once.

Greg briefly rubbed the bald crown of his head.

So Rose was Pink Diamond.

...Did that mean Steven was now Pink Diamond? Or the equivalent? He was still his son and from what he'd observed, he just looked different now and acted the same as he always did. Greg rubbed his face.

Garnet attacking Steven made some sense to him now. He knew enough about the "Diamond Authority" at least in passing from the Gems and the rare times Rose used to mention them. Suddenly being confronted by who was considered to be a Gem equivalent of a Monarch who was believed to be long dead then turns out to be the son of your rebellion's leader.

Yeah, that could leave someone out of sorts.

Greg wasn't completely sure if he should still be at least a little angry. But Steven was okay and that's really all that mattered. He knew the Gems would never hurt Steven on purpose.

But enough of his internal monologuing, he thought. He would need to clear the air with Ruby.

Standing from his chair, Greg neared Ruby, having grabbed the bucket he was using before he'd taken a break. He poured it out over by the curb and placed it upside down, like a makeshift stool.

"Hey, Ruby, I'm not mad, okay?"

Ruby didn't move, but she did sigh, and Greg could see her visible shoulder rise with her inhale.

"We...I really messed up," the small Gem stated in an almost whisper. Pearl sighed sympathetically, kneeling next to Ruby. "Steven is okay, Ruby," she assured. She rested a hand on the red Gem's shoulder. "He's still optimistic and spending time with Connie right now."

"And I'm sure Steven would feel guilty about you sulking here," Greg chipped in.

A sigh came from Ruby, this one sounding more exasperated than Pearl's. She sat up, loose pieces of gravel sticking to her arm like gum stuck to a shoe. Absentmindedly, she brushed it off.

"Yeah, I guess your right." She glided her finger over the loose rocks. "But what about Sapphire? We still don't know where she is." Ruby wanted to drop back down to the ground in self pity, but she felt like Pearl and Greg wouldn't like that.

"I wish I could help..." Greg replied apologetically. "Where were you guys last before...you know?"

Ruby folded her legs in front of her. "The strawberry battlefield. When Sapphire ran off, we checked everywhere, the kindergarten, the temple..."

"What about the fountain? I hear you guys talk about it all the time," Greg supplied.

Ruby and Pearl glanced at each other questioningly.

"Would Sapphire really go there after what just happened?" Ruby asked slowly.

"It wouldn't hurt to check," Pearl replied, though there was an undercurrent of uncertainty. Still, Pearl managed a small smile.

"Thank you, Greg," she said in earnest.

"Um, yeah," Ruby spoke up. She inhaled before her face became focused. She nodded once, strongly. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Greg scratched the back of his head, humbled. "Just, uh, let me know if you need anything."

\--

Yellow Diamond pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling.

The sight to any homeworld gem would have been jarring to witness. Not the nose pinching, but that her massive form was seated next to the others, as if she lived there all her life, finger relaxed posture was anything to go by.

"What could possibly be taking Blue so long..." she moaned. "We didn't park that far apart."

Yellow sighed, moving her intimidating gaze down to Steven and his friends.

Peridot was still poofed, her gem safely nestled in Steven's palms. Connie sat next to Steven, only coming up to her Diamond friend's calf. When Steven looked up, Yellow quickly glanced away.

"So you abandoned homeworld to stay on _this_ mud ball, hm?" Yellow ventured, breaking the awkward silence.

"I'm not..." Steven paused, glancing down at his hands that held Peridot. No matter how many times he tried to explain, it just wouldn't make sense to the larger Diamond. Gems outside of his immediate circle had no concept of biological reproduction, and it didn't help that he physically _was_ Pink Diamond, in every way. Even his fellow Crystal Gems seemed to not be able to grasp the concept that well.

Steven blinked. If he could show her his human body though, that might convince her!

"Yellow Diamond..."

Yellow shifted uncomfortably. "Stop doing that," she drawled irritably. "Just call me Yellow, already. The formality is," she gestured her hand vaguely. "It's odd."

Steven scratched his neck. "Sorry." He palmed his hands together, careful not to squeeze Peridot's gem. "If you let me show you guys something, I can prove I'm not Pink."

"I doubt it..." Yellow countered firmly, already certain. Steven rolled his eyes when he was sure she wasn't looking.

"Steven, are you sure it's a good idea to show them that?" Connie spoke up.

Steven shrugged. "Honestly? No."

Connie could tell from his tone that he felt he was out of options. "Um, Yellow Diamond?" she called out to the large figure. The yellow gem's gaze traveled down to her, eyeing her questioningly.

"Gems can't fuse with organics right?"

"Who are you?" Yellow suddenly queried.

Steven shifted in front Connie a bit, prompting Yellow to look at Steven.

"Her name's Connie," Steven input, hidden exasperation in his tone. Yellow pursed her lips but didn't say anything.

"It is true," Yellow settled on responding to the girl. Connie smiled as if she knew something Yellow didn't. Yellow decided she did not like that smile.

"I've fused with Steven."

Yellow blinked. Oh, that's right, Yellow thought. Pink had been referring to herself as 'Steven' recently, so it took a moment to register what the small thing meant.

"Wait. Fused?" Yellow frowned. " _Fused?"_ With an organic? That...creature? Yellow palmed her forehead as if she would be ill.

Blue would be simply horrified to hear of what Pink has been doing, Yellow thought.

Speaking of, Yellow could finally hear the shuffling of feet in the distance. She stood, telling them Blue was arriving.

Steven stood up after letting Connie onto one hand, allowing Connie to hold Peridot's gem.

The blue gem in question turned the corner, eyes almost immediately focusing in on Steven. She seemed to breathe a sigh, as if relieved about something.

"What took you so long?" Yellow asked, tone impatient as Blue drew near.

"This Kindergarden is bigger than it looks, Yellow," the mellow Gem retorted with a frown. She looked back at Steven, her smile returning immediately.

"Oh, Pink!" she greeted, reaching for her without warning. Steven tried to back up a step, but he was swept up into Blue's embrace. She wasted no time drawing her close to her cheek.

"We thought you'd been shattered!" she said, concern on her face. Yellow scoffed lightly. Blue glanced confusedly at her for only a moment before returning her attention to Steven. "What happened?"

Blue let Steven down to the ground, and he brushed off his clothes as if removing dust.

He wanted to repeat what he'd said to Yellow, but he wasn't sure Blue would get it either.

"It's a long story..." Steven settled on saying.


	14. Family Reunion, Part 4

A/N: Apologies for the slow updates. I currently work 12 hour shifts on the weekends. They are quite draining.

\--

Steven paced back and forth as he tried his best to explain what he was doing on Earth. As best he could, he relayed to them what Pearl had told him. Yellow Diamond stared ahead, but one could tell she was listening intently. Her lips were pursed in thought, her chin resting on her knuckles.

Blue on the other hand, watched Steven like a hawk, never allowing him to leave her sight. She seemed completely enraptured in his recounting. She stared at him as if fearing he would disappear if she looked away for only a moment.

Steven gave a nervous smile, warily observing Yellow and Blue for their reaction. Blue seemed to be mulling it over before looking at Yellow, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me," she pleaded. "As utterly ridiculous the story is...It's hard to argue the little evidence that _is_ there."

It was at this moment that Peridot's gem decided to hover and attempt to reform. Whatever Blue was about to say was on hold as they waited for the reformation to finish.

Once Peridot was back on her feet, she was checking herself over, as if making sure she wasn't missing something.

Peridot let out a hearty sigh, her shoulders sagging noticeably.

"OK. I'm OK," Peridot announced, drawing near to Steven's larger form.

"I'm glad you're okay," Steven replied. He raised a hand, as if trying to prevent an outburst. "Also, just letting you know that the Diamonds and I are working something out."

"That's a relief-" Peridot began to say as she turned around. Her eyes widened, seeing both Blue and Yellow standing ahead of her, staring down at her with mild interest. Peridot's comment died in her throat as she backpedaled to find shelter behind Steven's foot. She waved awkwardly.

"Don't mind me!" Peridot insisted with a nervous laugh.

Blue studied the Peridot for only a second longer before closing her eyes, her thoughts returning to more important matters.

"You say that you are not Pink..." she ventured.

Steven nodded excitedly. "Right!"

The robed Diamond frowned. "But you look and sound exactly like her. That is no coincidence," she argued. She didn't sound convinced at all, as if she were simply humoring him.

"Well..." Steven wanted to say that it was exactly that. A coincidence. Who would have thought that he would get poofed and then now he was Pink Diamond? Definitely not him.

He looked down to see that Connie smiled up at him and then patted his leg in sympathy.

"Blue, like I told Yellow, I can prove that I'm not Pink."

Blue did not seem at all happy at the statement, but she dusted herself off as she stood up, and Yellow followed suit.

"I have my doubts, I admit," Blue said slowly. Certain words that Pink, or Steven, as she called herself, stood out to Blue. Words like 'parent', 'mother', and 'father' particularly drew her attention. She'd heard Pink's Amethysts on the Zoo mention it often. Perhaps the story had some truth to it.

"But if you feel strongly about this..."

"I do."

"Then we will make one thing clear."

Steven had already made to head towards the warp pad with Connie and Peridot and froze in his tracks, unnerved by Blue's suddenly cold tone.

"We came here to bring you back home and to White Diamond."

Steven was about to protest, but Blue cut him off with a raised hand. "Perhaps you can explain your...situation...to her," she asserted. "But disobeying her is simply out of the question," she said. Steven could have sworn he sensed an undertone of anxiety.

Yellow scoffed lightly. "Stars know she listens to you more than us." The envy was clear in her voice, and Steven almost felt like snapping back at her. But he couldn't for two reasons. He didn't want to provoke a fight with either Diamond, and two, he had no idea who White was besides a vague description from Pearl.

The way she was spoken of sounded as if the other Diamonds saw this 'White' as an even higher authority.

The hybrid still had his back to them, and Connie used the chance to draw Steven's attention by tapping his large fingers.

"Steven, it's going to be okay," she aassured. When she was sure she had his attention, she continued, careful to make her comments short so as not to make the Diamonds impatient.

"You got them to keep from fighting. That's a start." Connie shrugged. Steven still looked skeptical however, and he glanced behind himself briefly.

"And you don't have to go to Homeworld alone. I'll come with you."

Steven stared at her in surprise. "That..." Steven frowned, the alien face making a pouting expression nearly making Connie giggle. "No way!" Steven whispered harshly. "That's too much to ask!"

Blue cleared her throat behind the two, making Steven and Connie flinch.

Steven glanced back to see Blue with her arms crossed, her brows downcast in mild annoyance.

The youngest Diamond cleared his throat. "Uhh, just thinking it over," he said in a rush.

"I'm volunteering," Connie corrected. Her eyes lit up. "In fact, why don't you have the Gems come with you. I'm sure they wouldn't want to be out of the loop."

After a pause, Connie observed the youngest Diamond skeptically. "You _were_ going to tell them...right?"

"Of course, of course," Steven quickly returned, shrugging. Truthfully, the thought hadn't occurred to him. He wasn't sure if Garnet was...available right now, and he didn't want to add that stress to Amethyst and Pearl. Then again, him disappearing again wouldn't do anyone any favors.

Steven set Connie and Peridot down.

"Fine, but I have conditions of my own," Steven said to Blue, crossing his own arms, attempting to match her posture. Strangely to Steven, it looked like Blue Diamond was suppressing a snort, but it lasted for only a second.

Yellow rolled her eyes. "We've already given compromises, Pink-"

The youngest Diamond cleared his throat expectantly.

" _Steven"_ , Yellow corrected herself, irritation in her voice. "What more could you possibly want?"

"The Crystal Gems come with me," Steven clarified. He expected Yellow Diamond's miffed expression. He raised a hand in a placating gesture. "They need to know that I'm okay. They've already had enough surprises."

Steven wanted to mention the ccorrupted Gems as well, but, he decided to hold off on that info at the moment. There was too much happening all at once, and this was his first time properly meeting both Blue and Yellow.

Now that he thought about it, were Blue and Yellow like his Aunts? He shook his head, getting his thoughts back on track.

He looked at both older Diamonds in turn.

"Deal?"

Blue and Yellow glanced at each other before looking back to Steven.

"Fine," Yellow conceded with a melodramatic sigh. "If it'll finally get us off this backwater planet," she said as she sauntered away from the group.

Blue knelt down, folding her hands on a knee. "So where have you been staying all this time?"

\--

Before travelling to the fountain, Ruby and Pearl agreed to stop by the house first. especially after what happened the past several hours, they thought it pertinent that they at least check to see if Steven wasn't already home before they continued looking for Sapphire.

"It might be easier to calm Sapphire down if Steven's with us," Pearl suggested as she opened the door for Ruby.

The smaller Gem gulped. "I hope he's not mad," Ruby said aloud, nervousness clear in her voice. She knew that she really shouldn't be worried, as Steven had already accepted her apology. But the lingering guilt still stuck, like a splinter you couldn't seem to get rid of after climbing a tree.

Ruby tailed Pearl and the lithe gem called out to Steven and Connie. There was no answer, making Pearl worry.

"I wonder if they're even back yet," she muttered, nervously tapping her chin. She shouldn't have anything to worry about...Steven was probably just running a bit late spending time with Connie...right?

Ruby approached her, glancing around. "Is he upstairs?" She asked, coming to a stop next to her. Pearl took the time to really study their surroundings, looking for anything out of place.

Pearl shook her head. "No. I checked up there. The Television is off and the bed's still made." It looked exactly as it did this morning. They hadn't arrived yet.

Pearl shrugged. "Shall we try our luck talking to Sapphire first?" She didn't miss the doubting look on Ruby's face.

"I don't think she'll want to talk to me," Ruby rubbed her shoulder. "I'm not good at pep talks," she added.

"Ruby, we went over this!" Pearl reminded in a gentle tone, but firmly. She took a seat on a stool by the kitchen's island table. "You two love each other too much to let something like..." Pearl struggled to find words, only gesturing vaguely. "This to separate you permanently."

Ruby waves her hands as if trying to placate Pearl. "I know, I know!" she quickly replied. "But what do I tell her? Steven's the one who's good with words about you know, friendship and stuff."

"Just say what you feel?" Pearl simply replied, her "answer" sounding more like a question.

Ruby raised a brow at the vague non-answer.

Pearl was saved from having to elaborate by a thudding sound at the house's entrance and then loud knocking. "Oh, will you look at that, it must he Steven!"

As Pearl headed toward the door, Ruby blinked. "Since when does Steven knock?"

"Perhaps Connie simply beat him to the door-" Pearl answered while opening the door. What greeted her was an glaring eye nearly as big as her whole body.

"!!" Pearl squawked in surprise, falling back on her rump. The eye drew back once it focused on her, revealing the face of Blue Diamond.

 _What in the stars was Blue Diamond doing here?!_ Pearl blinked rapidly, quickly picking herself back up. Her mind moved quickly, attempting to assess what was going on.

The Diamonds had no reason to be here. Did they find about Steven? If Blue Diamond was here, where was Yellow Diamond? Why did Blue Diamond bother knocking?

Blue Diamond squinted- or grimaced, from Pearl's point of view- at her for a moment before speaking.

"You must be Pink's Pearl," Blue realized, slowly raising an arm.

Pearl started, beginning to summon her weapon.

Blue set down Steven and Connie off to the side of the porch.

Pearl thought she would melt in relief, cancelling her summon, the glow from her gem ceasing as quickly as it began.

"Uh, Pearl, some things have happened..." Steven began, glancing back at Blue Diamond and now the approaching Yellow Diamond.


End file.
